Empire of Dirt
by sweets10
Summary: Following the Battle for Manhatten, nearly all of Percy's closest friends are dead. Grieving and left as the last Greek hero in New York, Percy is confronted by two goddesses who desperately need his help. Miles away, a young wizard is inching closer to the end of the prophecy that has defined his entire life...the only problem is that he doesn't know it yet. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary and Title are subject to change just so that you know.**

 **Disclaimer: This story is not for profit. All copyrighted material belongs to J.K. Rowling and Rick Riordan and their works.**

The sun rose early in the morning. Its warm rays shone down through the open window of a small New York apartment. Inside the room, a young man―still in his teenage years―lay on his bed and angrily covered his face from the light. He attempted to bury his head beneath the covers, but it only made him more uncomfortable. He groaned loudly and forced himself to sit up. He squinted against the sun and reached out to close the curtain. The room was dark once more. Satisfied, the young man collapsed backwards onto his bed. He sighed in relief that he could finally go back to sleep when there was a knock at the door.

"Percy?" came a kind voice. "Are you awake?"

Percy thought about growling out an answer, but he thought better of it. He would never willingly treat his mother with disrespect. Instead, he sat up in bed and ran a hand through his hair.

"Yes, mom," Percy said, "I'm awake."

"Great! Hurry up and get changed. You have a visitor."

Percy groaned softly but pulled himself out of bed. "Okay. Just a minute."

He walked over to his closet and reached for a shirt. His hands grabbed the first bit of fabric they could find and pulled out a clean, orange shirt. Percy felt his stomach plummet. It was a Camp Half-Blood shirt. He didn't know what happened exactly, but the next thing he knew, he was sitting on the ground, his back against the closet, holding up the shirt. It was only a few days since the end of the war with the Titans. Only a few days since Percy had lost nearly all of his closest friends. Percy wiped a tear from his cheek.

"You alright, Percy?" came another voice from the doorway. This voice, unlike his mother's, was deep. Percy wiped another tear.

"I'll be fine," Percy said not looking up.

"It wasn't your fault, son. There was nothing you could have done."

"I could have made him swear on the Styx!" Percy threw the shirt to the side and stood up. He turned to the door where an aged man sat in a wheelchair. "If I had only made him swear on the Styx then they'd all still be here."

The man rolled up to him. "You didn't even know what it meant to swear on the Styx. How would you have even known to do that?"

Percy's shoulders slumped. "I-I don't know. But I should have done something!"

"Percy," the man said as he rolled up even closer, "I understand your pain. I loved all of them too, but it's all in the past now."

Percy ran a hand through his hair. He didn't say anything for a while. Eventually he looked down at the man. "Nothing is the same anymore."

"No," the man said shaking his head. "It's not. But we'll get through this. Together."

Percy cocked his head in confusion. "What do you mean? There's no camp anymore."

"That is actually why I'm here," the man said. "Olympus sent me here to continue training. It _is_ my reason for living after all."

"So you'll be living here with us?" Percy asked. "Does my mom know?"

The man nodded. "It was her idea. I had originally planned on only stopping by to let you all know that camp is still open, but..."

"But my mom knew that going back there would only make things more painful for us," finished Percy. The man nodded.

Percy smiled, the first time in months that he had actually smiled. "It'll be good to have you around, Chiron."

"I appreciate that, Percy," Chiron said with a smile. "But it's Jack Brunner now."

Percy laughed softly at the reminder of the first time he had met Chiron. It seemed so long ago now. Five years to be exact. Chiron had been masquerading as Percy's Latin teacher before revealing himself to actually be a legendary trainer of heroes.

"Mr. Brunner," Percy said with a small smile and a nod. Chiron smiled but shook his head.

"Grandpa Brunner," Chiron corrected. "Your mother and Paul came up with the idea."

Percy couldn't help but actually smile widely at that. "It'll be good to have you around."

Chiron smiled back and then turned himself around. "Thank you. Now change into clean clothes and meet us all in the kitchen."

Percy nodded, and when Chiron was out of the room, he closed the door and went back to the closet. In a few minutes, he was fully dressed. He left his room and headed down the small hallway to the kitchen. The kitchen was not the largest, but it had a small table with three chairs, an oven with a stove top, and a decent refrigerator. At the table sat Percy's mother, Sally, and her husband, Paul. Chiron sat in his wheelchair opposite his mother leaving one empty chair for Percy. Percy smiled to his mother and Paul and took a seat at the table.

"I'm assuming Chiron told you the plan?" asked Sally as she placed a plate in front of Percy. Percy looked down and his stomach grumbled at the sight of blue pancakes stacked high with maple syrup and butter.

"Yeah he told me," Percy said putting a piece of pancake in his mouth. "But I'm not sure what good training me will do. We don't have any room here."

"The Olympians told me that the Fates spoke to them," said Chiron. Percy stopped eating and turned to him. "For me to retain my immortality I need to continue training heroes."

"But what about the remaining demigods?" asked Percy. "You can train them."

Chiron shook his head. "The gods said the Fates want the others to be sent out west."

"What's out west?" asked Percy. Chiron chuckled.

"There's actually another camp out there in California."

"What?" asked Percy incredulously. "Are you serious?"

Chiron nodded.

"Then why didn't they come to help us?"

"Because they're not Greeks," Chiron said. "They're Roman demigods and they were fighting the Titans on another front."

Percy's eyes widened. "Roman demigods?"

Chiron nodded again. "The gods have two aspects: Greek and Roman. If they..." Chiron coughed, "if they sleep with a mortal, their offspring is either Greek or Roman depending on which aspect the god took."

"Why haven't we ever met the Romans before?" asked Percy.

"Because the gods prefer their Greek forms," Chiron explained. "They're more even tempered as Greeks."

Percy scoffed at that. Ares was even tempered?

"The last time the Romans and Greeks interacted, the Civil War happened," said Chiron. At that, everyone's eyes widened.

"That was the cause of the Civil War?" asked Paul. Chiron shrugged.

"More or less. The mortal world had its own reason for fighting the Civil War, but the Greeks and Romans fought as well."

"Whose side were we on?" asked Percy. Chiron shook his head.

"We didn't exactly side with either the Confederates or the Union. We fought as Greeks against the Romans. The mist covered up the conflict and made the mortal world believe that it was just fighting between Union and Confederate soldiers."

Percy nodded at that. It made sense actually. The mist made mortals see the strangest things such as when Percy was on television for engaging in a gunfight with Ares when in reality it was a swordfight.

"That's incredible!" cried Paul. Percy snorted. Paul was a history teacher at a high school in the city, so of course he was interested in Chiron's tale.

Chiron chuckled and nodded. "You'd be amazed at how many times that has happened throughout history."

Paul's eyes widened and he looked like he was given the ultimate treasure. Percy smiled at the interaction but turned back towards Chiron.

"So how will the gods prevent the Greeks and Romans from fighting when they take the demigods to the west?" he asked. Chiron shrugged.

"I'm not sure, but I do know that it's out of my hands now. Rome has its own trainer named Lupa. You're the last Greek hero here, so I need to stay with you," Chiron said.

"You're a welcome addition to the family," said Sally with a smile. She turned to Percy. "Would you like some more?"

Percy shook his head. "No, thank you. I'm full. I'll help clean though."

Percy stood up and grabbed his plate and took it over to the sink. As he walked he felt his heart clench tightly in his chest. All the smiling and merriment was too much and Percy felt overwhelming pain. It wasn't right for him to feel happiness. Not after nearly all his friends had died. It just wasn't right. He cleaned his plate quickly and rushed out of the kitchen as fast as he could. He ran to his room, closed the door, and collapsed against it, tears flowing freely down his cheeks. Soon the tears stopped falling, and Percy felt something snap within him. The feeling should have scared him, but he found that he just did not care.

««‡»»

In the kitchen Sally stood up to follow her son, but Chiron rolled in front of her.

"Let him be for now," Chiron said softly. "He's hurting bad right now, and unfortunately, it's not something any of us can do anything about."

"But I'm his mother," Sally said though her tone revealed her resignation. Paul stood up and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders. She drew into his embrace and wiped a tear from her own eye. "I just want him to be happy."

"We all do, Sally," said Paul. "But Chiron is right. We don't really know what it's like to lose our closest friends to immortal beings."

"Percy needs time to heal," Chiron agreed. "I will continue training him, and hopefully one day Percy will find some purpose that will bring him happiness."

Sally nodded sadly and stepped away from Paul. "You should get going to work, my love. I'll clean up in here."

Paul put his hands on her shoulders. "Are you going to be alright?"

"I will be," Sally nodded. Paul eyed her for a moment before nodding as well. He walked into the small living room that broke off from the kitchen and grabbed his satchel off the recliner. Grabbing his keys from beside the door, Paul turned towards Chiron.

"Take care of her...Grandpa," Paul said with a smile. Chiron nodded and gave him a salute. With one last smile and a nod, Paul left the apartment. Chiron turned around and looked at Sally.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked. Sally opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.

"Can you get that?" She asked. "My hands are full."

Chiron responded by wheeling himself over to the door and opened it. In the doorway stood a rather tall man dressed in a Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts. He wore a fisherman's hat and had a rather regal looking beard. Chiron immediately bowed his head in reverence.

"Lord Poseidon," Chiron said respectfully. Sally nearly dropped the plates she was holding and rushed into the living room rubbing her hands on her pants.

"Poseidon!" she cried out softly. "I'm so glad you've come!"

Poseidon walked into the room and patted Chiron's shoulder. "I hope you are all doing well."

"We are," Sally said, "but Percy..."

Poseidon nodded and removed his hat. "I came to see him. Is he in his room?"

Sally nodded and pointed towards the hallway where Percy's room was. Poseidon nodded respectfully towards both of them and made his way down the hallway. The hall only had three doors, and judging by the starfish hanging on one of the rooms, Poseidon figured he knew where Percy was. He gently knocked on the door.

"Go away," came the muffled response. Poseidon sighed and opened the door anyway.

"I said go away!" growled Percy, his voice muffled by his pillow.

"Is that anyway to speak towards your father?" asked Poseidon. Percy lifted his head from his pillow and rushed forward to bow before Poseidon.

"I apologize, dad," Percy said quickly, "I didn't realize it was you."

Poseidon hoisted Percy up from his knees and placed his hands on Percy's shoulders. "It's alright, my son. I just wanted to see you and see how you were faring."

Percy's eyes darkened and he turned away from his father.

"I'm fine," he muttered. "I just need to be left alone."

"I figured as much," nodded Poseidon. "I figured you'd need to be alone, so I came to give you these." Poseidon held out his hand and a backpack appeared in it. Percy furrowed his brow and took the backpack.

"What is this?" he asked as he sat down on his bed. Poseidon sat down beside him.

"Open it."

Percy reached into the bag and felt something small and cold. He grabbed the object and pulled it out. It was a watch, and a rather well crafted one at that. Poseidon smiled at the watch.

"Your brother Tyson made that," Poseidon said. Percy smiled softly, though he was slightly worried by the lack of any emotion he felt. Poseidon continued, "It's a magical item that appears as a watch but actually contains a shield...and another little secret." He held up a hand to stop Percy from asking. "Tyson said you need to find it on your own."

Percy nodded and twisted the dial on the side, and a large, metallic shield sprang to life. He flipped the shield around to look at the intricate design on the front and had to whistle softly in admiration. The shield was magnificent. In the center was a large trident with rays of light streaking out of it. Around the sides were engraved images of Percy and his friends fighting on quests. Percy traced his hand around the images. After a moment he placed the shield to the side and reached back into the bag. His hand felt another metallic object, but this time, it was smaller and felt almost circular. He pulled his hand back out and found a small, circular orb that contained some strange substance Percy was unfamiliar with.

"That is a gift from your uncles," said Poseidon with a smile. Percy looked up at him confused.

"Zeus and Hades?" he asked incredulously.

Poseidon nodded. "That right there is an amulet that you must always wear. It contains a small amount of both their essences. The dead will listen to your commands and you will never find yourself without light." Poseidon shook his head in amusement. "Strange that Hades was so eager to assist you. Zeus, on the other hand, could only be persuaded to give you an everlasting source of light."

"This gift is too kind," muttered Percy. "I don't think I can accept this."

Poseidon placed a hand on Percy's shoulder and gave a soft squeeze. "You deserve much more, Percy. You saved Olympus and with it the world. We owe you a tremendous debt."

Percy shrugged and placed the amulet to the side. "I guess."

"Believe me, son," Poseidon said firmly. "Now reach back into the bag."

Percy cocked his head, but did as he was told. He reached his hand into the bag a third time. The last item in the bag was the same size as the amulet, but Percy knew immediately that it was a ring. He pulled it out and felt a strange sense of wonder as he looked at the ring. It was a silver ring with a gorgeous, green gem in the center. Greek letters were carved around the gem, but Percy was not in the right frame of mind to read it.

"It's your birthright," Poseidon said. Percy looked at him.

"My birthright?"

"That's right," Poseidon nodded. "As my son, you are a prince of the sea. This ring symbolizes that."

"What about Triton?"

"Triton is still the rightful heir to the throne of Atlantis," Poseidon said, "but nevertheless, you are still a prince. Triton even suggested I give you this."

Percy slipped the ring onto his finger and was satisfied when the ring fit just right.

"It's more than just a symbol though," Poseidon continued. "That ring gives you more power and authority as well. When you wear it, your godly abilities over water are strengthened. The ring also contains my essence as your amulet contains the essence of your uncles. As long as you wear it, you will have an everlasting source of water."

"How does that work?" asked Percy confused.

"The ring connects you to Atlantis itself," Poseidon explained. "As long as Atlantis is covered in water, the ring will draw on that water."

Percy eyed the ring and closed his eyes. He concentrated on the water within the ring, and soon found the connection his father had mentioned. He willed the water to spring forth out of his ring and was delighted to see a strong stream of water shoot out from it. Percy manipulated the water into a ball and then willed it back into the ring. He turned to his father and gave him a tight hug.

"I appreciate these gifts, dad," Percy said honestly. Poseidon hugged him back and then stood up.

"I'm glad." Poseidon pulled Percy up to his feet. "You have made me unbelievably proud, Percy."

Percy felt a small twinge of pride in his chest at the compliment, but it was immediately suppressed. He managed to smile at his father. "Thank you."

Poseidon smiled at him and turned to leave the room. Percy followed his father down the hallway towards the kitchen where Sally was still washing dishes and Chiron was reading a newspaper. Both stopped and looked at Poseidon and Percy when they walked in. Poseidon put his hat back on and smiled at them all.

"Thank you all for your hospitality," he said, "but I must be going. Atlantis still has a long way to being repaired. Please give Mr. Blofis my best."

Sally nodded and smiled. "I will."

Poseidon nodded at them all and made eye contact with Percy. "Remember you always have a place in Atlantis, Percy."  
"Thank you, dad," Percy said with a small smile. Poseidon smiled back and then left the apartment. Percy stared at the door for a moment before turning back towards the others. "I'm going back to my room."

Sally nodded. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"I will," said Percy as he walked back towards his room. Once inside he picked the shield up from his bed and twisted the dial on the back to turn it back into a watch. He placed the watch and the amulet on his bedside table. With the bed cleared off, Percy plopped back down and stared up at the ceiling. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

««‡»»

Percy knew he was having a demigod dream. He was in a large cave that was illuminated only by a single fire towards the center. Percy hesitantly made his way towards the fire where he noticed two figures sitting beside it. As he drew closer, the figures turned towards him. The figures revealed themselves to be two girls one looking as though she were only twelve and the other as though she were in her mid forties.

"Lady Hestia?" asked Percy confused. The girl to his left smiled warmly at him.

"Percy," Hestia said, "I'm glad you've come."

"I'm dreaming. I didn't have much of a choice," Percy deadpanned though he was careful enough to make it not sound rude. He rather liked Hestia.

Hestia smiled sympathetically at him before looking at the other woman. "You're right of course, Percy. Hecate here needs your help."

Percy turned towards Hecate. He had never met the goddess of magic and her striking appearance put him on edge. Hecate must have sensed his emotions since she held up her hands.

"Relax, Mr. Jackson," she said, "I mean you no harm. In fact, I need your help."

"With what?" asked Percy cautiously.

Hecate sighed and looked rather guilty. "I have few children, Mr. Jackson, and they were all killed by Kronos and his army." Percy felt his gut clench. "All that I have left are my legacies."

"Legacies?" asked Percy confused.

"Legacies are descendents of demigods, Percy," explained Hestia. Percy nodded and waited for Hecate to continue.

"Most of my legacies have magical abilities, and occasionally some are as powerful as my own children," Hecate said. "Unfortunately, not all are good. Some have branched out into the darkest forms of magic."

"And I'm assuming you need my help in stopping one such legacy?" asked Percy. Hecate nodded.

"There is a wizard in England that most believe to be dead. He is barely alive, and will attempt to return soon. If he is allowed to live, he will create disaster in the world equal to that of the Titans."

"And you want me to confront this...this wizard?" asked Percy incredulously. "Why would I do that? I don't remember you helping us out during the war."

Hecate closed her eyes tightly and nodded. "You're right. I didn't help when I should have, and my children paid the price for that." She turned and looked at Percy. "Please. I need your help-the world needs your help."

Percy rubbed his eyes warily.

"There is a wizard, Percy," said Hestia softly. "He is a kid only a few years younger than you. He is the best hope for England in the upcoming war against the dark wizard."

Percy looked at her. "If there's already someone that's the best hope, what do you need from me?"

"He is not prepared for the war," Hecate said. "His life has been terrible, and he needs to be trained if he wishes to survive."

"Why is that so important?" Percy asked. "Why do I need to be the one to train him?"

"Because," Hestia said as the flames crackled, "because he is the center of a grim prophecy."

Percy's eyes widened and then he closed them tightly. Millions of thoughts raced painfully through his mind as he remembered each and every prophecy he had been a part of including the Great Prophecy that had outlined the end of the war.

"What is the prophecy?"

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._ " Hecate trailed off as she finished the prophecy. Percy groaned. This prophecy sounded just as dark as his had been. He knew that he had to help this kid.

"How will I help him? He's all the way in England," Percy asked. Hecate and Hestia beamed gratefully. The fire burst with life, and Percy was filled with hope which seared through his chest as hot as the fire before him.

"Do not worry about that," said Hestia. "We are taking care of it."

Percy nodded and turned towards Hecate. "And how will I be able to help this kid? I can't do magic, and I doubt my power with water will really help me when dealing with powerful and dark spells."

Hecate nodded and stood up. "Hand me your shield."

Percy reached into his pocket for his watch and held it out hesitantly.

"Relax," Hecate said, "I am only placing a spell of my own upon it so that it will shield and deflect most spells."

"Most?"

"Unfortunately, there are a few spells that cannot be blocked," Hecate explained. Percy nodded slowly and gave her the watch. Hecate held them in her hands, and Percy felt the air spark with electricity. The goddess' eyes erupted in purple flames, and the shield began to glow the same color. The wind in the cave picked up and Percy had to dig his feet into the ground to stabilize himself. Soon the winds died down and the glowing ceased. Hecate handed Percy the object. Percy took it back gratefully though it did not feel any different.

When he had placed them back in his pocket, Hecate began to speak. "I will not stop at just enchanting those objects though."

"What do you mean?" asked Percy.

Hecate did not respond but instead held her hands out towards Percy. Purple beams of light shot out towards him, and before he could react, they pierced into his body. Percy felt as though fire was burning through his veins turning him to ash. It was almost as bad as the river Styx. Almost.

He ground his teeth together painfully. The pain ended after a moment, and the purple beams of light dissipated. Percy fell to one knee and began to pant.

"What the Hades was that?" he gasped out.

"I have given you my blessing," said Hecate. "You will be able to use magic yourself now."

Percy rose back to his feet though it took some effort. "Use magic? That's pretty neat."

Hecate nodded. "I cannot express to you how grateful I am that you are helping me."

"Yes well...I don't want another person to lose everything over a prophecy," Percy said. Hestia and Hecate nodded. "If that's all, I must be going now."

"Thank you, Percy," said Hestia softly. "You will bring much needed hope to the world."

Percy looked at her for a moment before shrugging. "If you say so."

Hestia smiled warmly. "You will. Now wake up."

Percy felt himself being pulled out of the dream and soon faded out of the cave. Once he was gone, Hestia turned back towards Hecate.

"I cannot believe that worked," she said. Hecate laughed. The laugh had a hint of hysteria in it which made Hestia bristle.

"I knew that he would give in if I acted vulnerable."

"It is not right to manipulate him that way," Hestia argued. Hecate shrugged.

"We really do need his help. So what if I had to trick him a little into giving it?"

««‡»»

"Percy? Percy are you awake?"

Percy opened his eyes abruptly and sat up quickly. He scanned the room and realized that he was back in his own bed. He sighed softly and pulled himself out of bed. He had no idea what to think of the dream. He reached into his pocket but did not feel his pen or his watch there. He looked at his bedside table and found both resting there beside his amulet. Percy shrugged and put the amulet on, placed the watch on his wrist, and put his pen in his pocket. He hoped that the dream was just that-a dream. He didn't want to think about having to train some kid in a different country to fight some dark wizard. It was all too weird and strange. Though if he were honest with himself, everything about his life was weird and strange. He _was_ the son of one of the big three after all.

"Percy are you awake?" his mom called again from the hall. Percy sighed and went over and opened the door.

"I am now," he said. Sally smiled softly.

"I'm sorry about waking you, but lunch is ready and Paul is here."

Percy furrowed his brow. "Already? Doesn't he have more classes to teach?"

Sally shrugged. "He said he has big news. Come to the kitchen."

Percy tried to think what news Paul might have that would bring him home so early, but he couldn't think of anything. He followed his mom into the kitchen where Chiron sat in his wheelchair in his normal place. Paul was standing by the sink holding a big letter in his hands. Percy sat down at the table where a sandwich was waiting for him. He smiled at his mom and took a bite. Once he had swallowed it, he looked up at Paul.

"What's this news you have?" Percy asked. Paul smiled wide and put the letter on the table. Percy looked at it, but there was no writing on it.

"What is it?" asked Sally equally intrigued. Paul grabbed the letter and opened it.

"I got a new promotion!" he cried out waving the letter in the air. Sally clapped merrily and Chiron smiled. Percy merely narrowed his eyes. Something seemed off.

"What's the promotion?" asked Sally. Paul cupped her face.

"I just received a letter from King's College London to teach history to undergraduates!"

Sally frowned. "London? As in England?"

Percy's eyes widened. He felt his insides twist painfully as he realized that his dream had indeed been real. This must have been Hestia and Hecate's plan to get Percy into England.

"I realize that this is a major change, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me!"

Sally shook her head. "I'm not sure about this, Paul."

Paul opened his mouth to speak when Percy interrupted him.

"I think it's a great idea," Percy said. Everyone turned towards him. "New York holds too many memories...it might be good to leave."

Sally eyed her son and seemed to be waging an inward battle. She was obviously torn between wanting to remain in New York where she had spent her entire life and moving to a new city and a new country. She turned towards Chiron. "What do you think about all this?"

Chiron held up his hands in surrender. "I go wherever Percy goes."

Sally sighed and turned towards Paul. "Alright, I guess it's off to England for us."

Paul whooped for joy and Sally could not help but laugh. Paul's joy was infectious and even Percy smiled brightly. It felt good to be in such a happy setting. Chiron must have noticed Percy seemed to be deep in thought despite his smile.

"Everything okay, Percy?" asked Chiron. Percy turned to him and nodded.

"I'll explain later."

Chiron eyed him carefully but did not press the matter. Percy turned back towards Paul and his mom.

"So when are we leaving?"

"Well actually, we need to leave this week," Paul said.

"This week?" cried Sally incredulously. "How will be pack all of this in a week?"

Paul shrugged. "We'll find a way. King's College wants me to come in time for the fall semester."

"What about your current job?" Percy asked. Paul shrugged.

"The school said they had a substitute that would cover for me. There's only two weeks left in the summer before school starts again. I thought they'd be rather furious with me, but for some reason they were more than willing to comply with King's' demand."

Percy scoffed quietly under his breath. Hecate and Hestia were definitely behind all of this.

"Well I guess we have a lot of packing to do," said Sally. "Percy, finish your sandwich and then run down to the store and buy us some boxes."

Percy nodded and scarfed down his sandwich. He placed the plate in the sink, took the money his mom handed him, and headed out for the store. As he left the apartment and walked down the busy New York street, he could not help but think that life was just about to get very interesting. _Dark Wizards and new prophecies,_ thought Percy. Yes. Life would indeed be getting much more interesting.

 **A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter of what I hope to be a really fun HP/PJO crossover fic. I loved writing this. Since this is a crossover, understand that this is completely AU and that a lot of the dates have been shifted to better connect both worlds. As such, the Battle for Manhatten occurred only a few days before Percy and fam. move to London. At this point in the story, Harry is just about the leave to go to the Weasley's for the World Cup. Also, there are not nearly as many crossover stories as there are other types of fanfics so the possibility of overlap might be much more obvious here. I promise this story is entirely my own and if I ever (which is doubtable) use another author's ideas it will be credited and only used after permission is given.**

 **To those of you who have been waiting for the next chapter of Civil War, that is currently in the works. I took the summer off to focus on my personal writing, so I am back now to work on these two fanfics. I might alternate when I write for each story, I might not. Just know that neither story will be left uncompleted. As always, thank you all for reading. Please leave a review as they are always helpful (BE CONSTRUCTIVE WITH CRITICISM)!**


	2. Chapter 2

"Where are we even going to be staying?" Sally groaned. "We don't have a home, transportation, money!"

Paul placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and dug out a sheet of paper from his bag. "Don't worry, Sally! The College is taking care of all of that-well the housing and money. I'll have to use a cab to get to school, but it's okay."

Sally sighed and looked out the window of the plane. The packing and moving had not taken long at all, and within the next several hours the four of them, Chiron included, were on a plane ride to London. Sally turned back to Paul. "So where will we be living? In the city?"

"No, actually," Paul said. "They are putting us up in a very nice home-if their information is to be believed." Paul scanned the page for the address. "See here. Number 5 Privet Drive, Little Whinging, Surrey."

"An actual house," perked up Percy from behind them. Paul turned around and nodded, a wide grin on his face.

"Yep! Awesome isn't it?"

Percy smiled and nodded. An actual house would be nice. He looked out his window and tried to focus on what the home would be like and not on his fear of Zeus smiting him.

"Relax, Percy," said Chiron who sat beside him. "Your father said everything would be okay, so you need to trust him." Chiron was very careful not to mention Poseidon or Zeus on the plane. Percy simply shrugged. He had ridden pegasi countless times, but flying in a plane was not something he could control. He couldn't exactly communicate with the plane. Chiron patted his knee. "Get some sleep. We have five hours left before we reach London."

"Were you ever in London, Grandpa?" asked Percy testing out the name. It felt kinda odd on his tongue.

Chiron leaned back and thought about it. "I was a long time ago. For a while Olympus was located in London, but it didn't last long. There weren't any buildings as tall as Mount Olympus in Greece or the Empire State Building. Olympus moved, but I stayed in London a little while longer to find more demigods."

"Have you been back since?"

"They don't exactly give me vacations."

Percy chuckled and leaned against the window. "Alright, wake me up when we get there."

««‡»»

"Percy," Percy groaned and cracked open his eyes. "Percy, wake up."

"I'm awake," Percy yawned. "We there yet?"

Chiron nodded. "We just landed. Surprised you slept through it."

Percy rubbed at his eyes with the palms of his hands. "It's been a very...weird last few days."

"Want to talk about it?"

"I will," Percy said. "But I'll tell you once we move in."

Chiron eyed him for a moment but did not press the conversation. Ahead of them people began getting out of their seats and grabbing their bags. Paul and Sally stood up and waited for the flight attendant to bring the wheelchair for Grandpa Jack. Once "Jack" was situated in his chair, Percy got up and grabbed his duffel bag. It felt weird, but he really did not have many things. The two most important things, his pen and his shield-well three including the amulet-were already on his person.

"This is so exciting!" squealed Paul. "Are you guys excited?"

Sally laughed at her husband and blushed as other people on the plane began to stare at the strange college professor. She rolled her eyes and mouthed "new job." They smiled and began heading off the plane. Percy couldn't help but smile at Paul either. The gods usually made everything worse, but at least this time it seemed someone was benefiting. If Paul was happy, then Sally was happy and that's what Percy cared about. Percy stood behind Chiron and began to push him off the plane.

"Thank you for flying with us," said the flight attendant. Percy and Chiron smiled at her politely and exited.

"Paul and Sally should be waiting for us outside the gate," Chiron said. Percy nodded and pushed his supposed grandfather down the jetway towards the gate. Just as Chiron had suspected, the Blofis waited eagerly.

"Come on! We don't want to be late!" said Paul. "We are to meet a representative from the College who will take us to our new home."

"I still can't believe this is happening," said Sally with a wide smile. "Only two days ago we were living in New York and now we are living in London. In a completely different country!"

Percy smiled, and it felt genuine. He loved seeing his mother happy. It was the biggest reason why he hadn't been upset when she began dating Paul. They worked well together and that is what mattered. Percy shook his head to clear his mind and pushed Chiron behind Sally and Paul towards customs. Customs went by without a breeze possibly due to Hecate and Hestia, and soon they were headed towards the carousels. They realized when packing that they really didn't own much. They had three checked bags between the four of them though each had a carryon. When they reached the carousel, Percy helped Paul grab the three bags and put them on a cart. The four of them left the area and headed outside. Several people stood holding signs with people's names on them. Percy felt like he was in a movie.

"Over there, Paul," said Sally pointing towards a very prominent looking man holding a sign with the name Blofis printed in bold. Paul hurried the group towards the man. Percy groaned as he had to push the heavy cart much faster.

"Good afternoon," said the man. Percy had to hide a smile at the accent. This was definitely a movie scene. "I presume you are the Blofis family?"

"Uh, yes," said Paul shaking the man's hand. "I am Paul, this is my wife, Sally, her son, Percy, and Sally's father, Jack." The man nodded at each of them, and motioned towards one of the taxi's behind him.

"Pleasure. This cab will take you to your residence in Surrey. In the house you'll find all of the information you need about London and your new position at King's College. Here is the key to your new home"

Paul thanked the man, and the four of them began to load their bags into the taxi. It was already 5 in the afternoon, and they were all exhausted from the long day of traveling. Each had, had to get up at 2 in the morning to make their flight at 4. Percy was definitely taking it the worst. He needed sleep. Everything felt fuzzy and hazy, and soon they were all in the taxi headed towards their new home.

««‡»»

"Will you be needing anything else?" asked the taxi driver. Paul shook his head.

"No thank you. Have a good evening."

The driver tipped his head and drove off. They all stood in front of their new home. It was...ordinary. Percy had never lived in a home before. A cabin yes but never in a home. This home was just not what he had expected. To be fair, it wasn't the home per se. Really it was the neighborhood. Every house looked remarkably similar. Each had very well trimmed yards-which Percy figured he'd have to be cutting now-and flower gardens. He glanced at the others and each had the same look on their face.

"It looks...very nice," said Sally slowly. Paul shrugged.

"It beats a cramped apartment, and at least we don't have to pay hardly anything."

"That's true. We can always make the best of it."

"Percy," said Paul as he unlocked the door, "can you help me bring the bags inside?"

Percy nodded and left Chiron with his mother. The bags were not that heavy and the both of them got everything inside fairly quickly. The inside was definitely different than anything Percy had ever seen. It felt like he was in a museum or even Indiana Jones' house. Artifacts and maps were stored everywhere much to Paul's delight.

"This is perfect," Paul exclaimed. Percy only shrugged.

"Where is my room?"

Paul looked around but didn't see anything that looked like a room on the main floor. "It is probably upstairs."

Percy nodded. "Can I go on up?"

"Of course!"

Percy grabbed his carryon and his larger bag and carried them up the steps to the top floor. The upstairs had three separate rooms. The one to the left and down the hall was what Percy assumed was the master bedroom. He went for the one to the right of the stairway and opened the door. The room was much larger than his room back in New York. A large window rested on the far wall overlooking the neighborhood. He looked out the window to see an enormous man get out of a car and waddle into the house right across the street. Percy wondered how their yard looked so neat. He shrugged and dropped his larger bag on the ground beside his bed and put his backpack on it. He stood there for a moment deciding what he should unpack first. To be honest he wasn't entirely sure what he should be doing at all. Hecate and Hestia wanted him in London to help some kid with a prophecy, but he had no idea where to even begin looking for this said kid. People probably wouldn't take well to someone asking about magical wizards. Especially not in this neighborhood.

Percy sighed and sat down on his bed. He decided that he might as well get his backpack taken care of. He began to take things out from his bag. It wasn't much just a few sea shells, the Minotaur horn, his watch, and his amulet. He reached in after unpacking those and pulled out a picture frame. His throat dried up. It was a picture of him and his friends standing around Thalia's tree back at camp. The picture had been taken the day before Percy and Charlie had attacked Kronos' ship. Not everyone in the picture was dead though, but even still it hurt to see the faces of so many people that had died.

He placed the picture beside his watch on the nightstand beside his bed and turned towards his larger duffel bag. This bag really only contained Percy's clothes so it did not take very long for him to get everything unpacked. He did find his breastplate in the bag and slid it under his bed. He looked around the room. It didn't look like it was really his room yet, but he figured it probably would take a few weeks before the reality of it really sank in. He sat down on his bed and looked back at the picture of his friends. The pain inside his chest erupted again, and he collapsed backwards onto the mattress. It didn't take long before Percy was fast asleep, dry tears on his cheeks.

««‡»»

Percy woke up suddenly at the sound of knocks on his door. He glanced at his watch and groaned. It was 9 in the morning. He had slept for almost 13 hours. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and put on his amulet and watch. The weight felt comforting to him. Percy opened the door and smiled tiredly at his mom.

"You feeling alright, Perce?" asked Sally with concern. "I came by last night to tell you we were going out to eat, but you were sound asleep."

"I'm sorry," Percy said sheepishly. "I didn't mean to sleep that long."

Sally hugged him. "It's alright. Now come downstairs. I have breakfast on the table."

Percy's stomach growled at the thought of breakfast and he happily complied. He headed downstairs and found Chiron sitting at the table reading one of the history books the house had come with. Chiron looked up as Percy sat down and smiled.

"Get some rest?"

"Some," Percy said with a small smile. "Where did you sleep?"

"There's a guest room on this floor. Pretty comfortable too."

"Percy," asked Sally from the kitchen, "how many pancakes would you like?"

"Three is fine," Percy said. Sally nodded and put a plate of three pancakes in front of him.

She frowned slightly. "I'm sorry about the color. The house came with hundreds of books on history but no blue food coloring."

Percy laughed. "It's okay. I think I can manage this time."

Sally ruffled his hair. "I'm going to head out to the store in a little bit to get some more groceries."

"Do you need any help?" asked Percy. Sally shook her head.

"I should be fine. The hard part will be figuring my way around. Guess I'll have to learn sometime, huh?"

"Be careful out there mom," Percy said. Sally nodded, grabbed her purse, and left the house. "She knows how to call a taxi right?"

Chiron shrugged. "I'm sure she'll figure it out."

Percy finished his pancakes and put his plate in the sink. The kitchen was much larger than the one they had back in New York. It even had a dishwasher. Percy could only imagine how happy his mom had been to see it. He washed his plate and put it on the drying rack then turned to face Chiron. "There's something we need to talk about."

"Oh," said Chiron with concern. "Is everything alright?"

Percy looked around uncertainly. "I'm not sure. I had a dream the other night before Paul got the new job."

Chiron looked very intrigued. "What did you dream?"

"Hestia and Hecate confronted me," Percy said quietly. Chiron swore softly under his breath.

"What did they want?" he asked. "I can't imagine Hestia being maleficent."

"They weren't. It was all...very confusing." Percy proceeded in telling Chiron everything. He explained Hecate's legacies and the very little he knew about her legacies. When he got to the prophecy, Chiron cursed loudly.

"Why must everything begin with a prophecy?" he growled. "I miss the days when things just happened. No prophecies. Just chance."

"How old are you?" asked Percy. Chiron glared at him good naturedly.

"Watch it, kid. Don't talk to your grandpa like that."

They both laughed. Chiron smiled and began rubbing his chin. "So all of this, Paul's job, us moving, is all because of the gods?"

Percy nodded. "It certainly seems like it."

"Then I guess we better get started on finding this wizard kid."

"Where should we begin?"

Chiron looked at the clock on the kitchen wall. "It's still pretty early. How about we go to the backyard and do some training. We can hit downtown later around lunch and see if we can't find someone that can help us."

Percy nodded. "Sounds good."

They headed outside towards the backyard. It was not the biggest space in the world, but it was a yard. Percy pulled out his pen from his pocket and uncapped it. Anaklusmos sprang to life and he could not help but feel a spark of adrenaline rush through his body. He swung the sword around before turning towards Chiron. Chiron began to bark out commands and techniques. For the next few hours, Percy did what Chiron asked him to do. He practiced his lunges, his footwork, he even practiced his skill with water. They discovered fairly quickly that Percy's new role as an heir to Atlantis gave him exceptional power over water. He had managed to completely turn himself into water molecules and back again. They discussed whether or not Percy could use it as a means to teleport, but they decided against testing it out quite yet.

"It's around one now," said Chiron. "Let's call it a day and let's get something to eat. Your mother said she probably wouldn't be home till later."

Percy nodded and used water from his ring to wash off the sweat from his body then shot the water towards one of the flower beds. He followed Chiron inside and waited for him to get some money. Chiron handed Percy a few British bills.

"Take some and put them in your wallet. You might need them later."

Percy took the bills and pulled out his wallet from his back pocket. When he opened his wallet, however, he noticed a glittering card. He had never had a credit card before and he hesitantly pulled it out of the slot. The card was silver and a piece of tape was stuck to it. Percy looked at the tape and found two words written on it. _From Hades_. Percy smiled brightly. Hades was the god of wealth. If he was assuming correctly, this credit card was essentially a blank check for him to buy what he pleased. Percy put the card back and handed the bills to Chiron.

"Hades gave me a card. I think we should be set on money."

Chiron just shuck his head. "Amazing what giving someone their throne back will do to their generosity."

Percy simply grinned and put his wallet back in his pocket. "Shall we?"

Chiron nodded and led the way out of the house. Outside, the neighborhood was quiet with only the sound of birds chirping to give it any life. Percy squinted against the sun and looked around.

"Do you know where we go to find a taxi?" he asked Chiron.

"How should I know?"

Percy rolled his eyes and looked around. He was about to just give up and head inside when he saw the front door of the house across the street open. A small, scrawny boy hurried outside, and Percy thought he heard the sound of shouting coming from inside. The boy went to the side of the house to where a small shed sat in the shade. He opened the shed doors and pulled out a tool and then went to the rose bushes by the house and began pruning them.

"Wait right here," Percy said to Chiron. "I'm going to go over there and ask that kid where we can hail a taxi."

"I'll be here."

Percy crossed the street and walked towards the boy. The boy must of noticed him coming, because he jumped up and gripped the cutters tightly. Percy eyed the boy carefully. He couldn't have been any older than thirteen with glasses and crazy, black hair, and from the way he was holding the tool, Percy figured the boy had, had some pretty bad experiences. He looked at the boy warily as he got closer.

"Easy there," Percy said. His accent must have startled the kid because his grip on the cutters loosened. "I only wanted to ask you a question."

The boy eyed Percy warily but did not put down the tool. Percy was struck by the fact that the kid looked very similar to himself. From the look on the kid's face, he probably noticed it too.

"What do you want?" The question was not said rudely, but Percy could tell the waiver of warning in the kid's voice.

"My grandpa," Percy pointed over towards Chiron who was busy looking at a rose bush, "and I are looking to head into town to get some lunch. We just moved in across the street, and we're not too sure where to go to find a taxi."

The boy glanced over at Chiron and back at Percy. He waited for a moment before nodding. "There's a street not to far from here where you can find a cab pretty easily. Just head down Privet Drive that way and it'll be about three blocks down."

Percy smiled and nodded. "Thanks." He turned to leave when something inside of him made him look back at the boy. "Hey, would you like to join us? We'd love to have someone show us around London."

The boy looked absolutely surprised at the question and began to fumble with his words. "I-uh...yeah I wouldn't mind that," he said. "I just have to head inside and let my Aunt know that I'll be gone for lunch." The boy looked at the roses and then back at Percy. "I can probably finish this later."

Percy smiled. "We'll wait for you over there."

The boy hesitantly smiled back and then hurried inside. Percy shrugged his shoulders. British kids were weird. He crossed back over the street and found Chiron holding his finger out. A butterfly sat still on the tip of his nail. Percy cleared his throat. The butterfly flew off and Chiron sighed.

"Was that necessary?"

Percy nodded with a smirk. "Absolutely."

Chiron rolled his eyes. "Did you figure out where we can find a taxi?"

"Yes I did," Percy said. "I also invited that kid from across the street to join us." He looked back over at the house. "Something seems odd about that kid. He's skittish."

"In a bad way?"

"I think there might be some sort of abuse going on in there," Percy said with concern. Before Sally had dated Paul, she had been with a horrible man named Gabe. Gabe was a disgusting man that did nothing but drink beer and play poker. He was cruel and constantly harassed Percy and Sally. Percy had always wondered why his mom had put up with the man until he found out he was a demigod and that Gabe's stench hid Percy from monsters.

"Well keep your eye open, Percy," said Chiron. Percy nodded just as the door opened and the boy hurried to cross the street over towards them. Percy glanced at the house and saw a ghostly female face staring out from the window at them. He narrowed his eyes but forced himself to look back at the boy.

"I'm glad you can join us," Percy said. "We really have no idea what we're doing."

The boy laughed, and Percy was struck at just how different his attitude seemed to be. "It's alright. Where are you guys from? America by your accent."

Percy and Chiron nodded.

"We're from New York," Percy said proudly. "My mom's husband got a new job as a professor at King's College and so they moved us out here."

The boy nodded and began to lead them down the street.

"How old are you?" asked Percy.

"I'm fourteen," the boy said. Percy's eyes widened in surprise. The boy was definitely too scrawny to be fourteen. At fourteen Percy had held the sky up for Artemis. This kid looked like he could barely hold a stick. "How about you?"

"I'm sixteen," Percy said. "Birthday was a few days ago."

The boy smiled and nodded. "Mine was at the end of July."

Chiron remained quiet throughout the exchange, but met Percy's eyes. They silently agreed that they would have to keep an eye on this kid even though it wasn't their main objective. There was clearly abuse going on and Percy could not stand to let it continue.

They made their way down the few blocks and finally found the spot the boy had mentioned earlier. He waved his hand out, and a taxi quickly pulled up in front of them. Percy helped Chiron into the car before getting in himself. As the taxi pulled away from the curb, the boy said an address that sounded like gibberish to Percy. The driver nodded and began to take them towards downtown. Percy realized with start that he had never asked the boy what his name was.

"By the way," Percy said, "my name is Percy Jackson and this is my grandpa Jack."

He held out his hand to the boy who shook it. Percy was pleased that the handshake was actually quite firm.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," the boy said. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter."

 **A/N: This chapter was written before the story was published. Please leave a review and please favorite/follow! Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed this chapter just as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

 **Forgot to mention this last chapter, but please welcome Distorted-me. She is my beta for this story and has done an excellent job.**


	3. Chapter 3

"He seemed like a very nice young man," said Chiron as they headed back home. Percy agreed. Lunch with Harry had gone quite well. Harry, Percy discovered, shared a lot of the same interests, and the two of them became good friends. Percy was a tad disappointed to learn that Harry went to a boarding school in Scotland. He still didn't quite understand the geography of the area, but he knew that he wouldn't see much of Harry till June. Percy noticed that Harry spoke of his school longingly which only furthered his theory about abuse.

"I don't think he knows anything about magicians here in England," said Chiron.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Witches and wizards, Chiron. Not magicians."

"Whatever," Chiron laughed. "How are we supposed to find these witches and wizards?"

Percy shrugged. He honestly wasn't sure. He had hoped that Hestia and Hecate would have done something to help out, but it seemed like they were doomed to figuring it out on their own.

"Percy?" called Sally from the house. Percy rolled Chiron inside and closed the door.

"We're here, mom," he called back. "We went out for lunch."

"Percy here made a new friend," Chiron said. Sally walked out of the kitchen wearing an apron. Blue stained the front of it.

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Percy shrugged. "I'm going to go up to my room."

Sally's smile faded and she watched her son head up the stairs. She looked over at Chiron helplessly. "I thought he met a new friend?"

"He did," Chiron sighed, "but I'm afraid it only served to remember the friends he has already lost."

Sally felt a tear run down her cheek. "I just want him happy."

Chiron nodded. "We all do."

Upstairs, Percy went inside his room and sat down on his bed. He picked up the picture of his friends. It had only been about a week or so since the Battle for Manhattan. The battle when he lost his friends. But as he looked at the picture he realized that the pain of losing them would never go away; he just had to try his best to not let their deaths be in vain. They had died defending the world against the Titan army. They had died to save those that could not defend themselves, and Percy would never forget them. Now, there were two people that needed his help.

Percy stood up and walked over to his window. Harry Potter was an interesting kid. He was quiet but had a good humor. In many ways he was like Percy. The way Harry spoke of his family was the same way Percy had talked about his ex-stepfather, Gabe. Percy closed his eyes. He had a new purpose now. There were people in England that needed his help, and even though Harry wasn't who Hecate or Hestia had called him to help, Percy was determined to help his new friend. It was what his friends would have done.

As he came to his own realization of his new purpose in life, he saw Harry come back outside. Percy's eyes narrowed as he saw Harry begin to work on the garden again. The enormous man he had seen the day before came waddling out of the house. The man began shouting at Harry though Percy noted he did it quietly enough that no one else in the neighborhood could hear. From Harry's expression it seemed as though his uncle was threatening him to do something. Harry had mentioned that he lived with his aunt, uncle, and cousin, though he never mentioned what had happened to his parents. Percy did not want to see someone else struggle with abuse, so he opened his window and tried to listen in.

"...and leaving for lunch?!" shouted the uncle. "You were supposed to finish watering the plants by lunch time and then prune the roses! Instead, you leave without notice, you stupid boy!"

"I told Aunt Petunia-" Harry tried to say. His uncle grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Listen here, boy! When I say something happened, that's how it happened. You are forbidden from seeing anybody else for the rest of the summer! You hear me?! There will be no going with your freakish friends! You will stay here and finish your damn job!"

Percy glared at the horrible man. Water began to pour out of his ring into his palm and circled around his body. He was about to shoot the water at the uncle when he stopped. Doing that now could very well get Harry in even more trouble. Percy willed the water back into the ring. He would get back at the uncle another time.

Soon the uncle finished shouting at Harry and went back inside. Harry went back to work on the garden, though he seemed in a much bigger hurry. As Harry went to get the hose, Percy stretched out his arm and shot a jet of water at the garden. Thankfully, nobody saw the water at all, and soon the garden was completely soaked. Harry returned to the garden and stared at the plants completely confused. He looked around at the other houses, but when he didn't see anybody he hesitantly went back to return the hose.

««‡»»

"You won't believe it! My office is enormous and there are thousands and thousands of books in the library!" explained Paul. He was standing in the living room telling everyone about his first day of work. Percy sat on the couch closest to the window and laughed at his stepfather's antics. Sally had tears in her eyes and even Chiron had a wide smile. "This is everything I've dreamed about!"

"I'm so happy for you, Paul!" said Sally. Paul sighed happily and plopped down beside his wife. He put an arm around her shoulder and gave her a hug.

"Thank you all for your support. I know moving here wasn't the easiest thing in the world."

"I think this was a good change of pace," said Percy. It was the first thing he had said since returning from lunch with Harry and Chiron. Everyone turned to him and they all smiled.

"I think so too," Sally said brightly. "Now who's ready for dessert?"

Everyone raised a hand and got up to go back into the kitchen. As Percy stood up, he glanced out the window. Harry was walking down the street looking quite sullen. Percy thought about the uncle's threat, but figured what the Hades. Harry looked like he need a friend.

"Mom?" Percy called out.

"Yeah?" Sally called back from the kitchen.

"Can I invite Harry over?"

There was silence for a moment before Percy thought he heard a cheer. "Yes you can!"

Percy rolled his eyes at his mom's obvious excitement and headed outside. It was still the middle of August, only the 21st, and the night felt cool on Percy's skin. Harry had already made it down a few houses, so, looking around to make sure he was alone, Percy pulled the moisture out of the air and launched himself down the street only a house behind Harry. It was a skill he had learned only a few days before the Battle for Manhattan. It was the only thing that had kept him alive. That and Nico...but Percy refused to think about that.

"Harry!" Percy called out. Harry spun around quickly reaching for his back pocket before relaxing. Percy's eyes narrowed but he didn't say anything about Harry's reaction. Instead, he asked, "What are you up to?"

"Just going for a walk," Harry said. "What are you doing out here?"

Percy nodded his head back towards his house. "We're about to have dessert, and I thought I'd invite you."

"You want to invite me over for dessert?" asked Harry. His tone indicated that he didn't really believe the offer was genuine.

"Of course," said Percy. "You said that you were being picked up sometime this week to go back to school, so I thought we'd hang a bit before you leave."

Harry glanced back towards his own home and seemed to ponder the offer. Percy just waited.

"I probably shouldn't..." Harry said uncertainly.

"Don't worry about your family," Percy said confidently. "I'm sure they'd have an aneurysm if they realize they'd be insulting the new neighbors by not letting you come over."

"You don't know them like I do," murmured Harry, but Percy heard it. He walked up to Harry and put a hand on his shoulder. Harry looked up and they locked eyes.

"My mom was married to an ugly, disgusting man much worse than your uncle. I know _exactly_ what our family is like."

In that moment the two teenagers realized that they shared a bond. Not one built on friendship-at least not yet-but on trust and mutual respect. Though Percy didn't know it, Harry had never let anyone know the extent of his life with his family. No one knew but Percy did. Percy knew everything and it only took a single glance. Both, having experienced tremendous loss in their lives, had a brotherly bond.

"Come have some cake," Percy said much more confidently patting Harry on his shoulder. "It'll just be my mom, her husband, and my grandpa."

"You sure I won't be intruding?" Harry asked still a tad uncertain.

Percy shook his head. "Of course not. We're New Yorkers. We're used to lots of people."

Harry laughed and they began walking back towards Percy's house. Percy gave his friend a quick run down of his family and his mother's strange fascination with blue food. He didn't want Harry to be scared off so quickly. Harry laughed at that and described some of the strange foods they served at his school.

" _Pumpkin_ juice?" asked Percy horrified. "They make juice with pumpkins?!"

"It's not that bad!" laughed Harry. "It's weird at first, but it'll grow on you."

"I'm not sure I want to even try that," Percy shook his head. "I'll stick to my soda and regular people juice." As they reached their houses, Percy used the moisture in the air to fog Harry's family's windows so they couldn't see outside. Harry didn't seem to notice at all which was good. Percy didn't need Harry thinking he was a freak.

"We're here," said Percy as he opened the door. He let Harry walk inside first and then closed the door. He turned to Harry. "I'm sorry about the boxes. We still haven't finished unpacking."

"It's alright," Harry said. "I don't mind. It's a very nice house though."

"Thank you!" said Paul walking into the room. "Name's Paul Blofis. You must be Harry."

Harry shook Paul's hand and nodded. "Yes, sir. Thank you for having me over."

"The pleasure is all mine!" Paul motioned for them to come to the kitchen. "Sally has the dessert all ready."

They entered the kitchen and found Sally and 'Jack' sitting at the table. Each seat at the table had a large slice of blue cake. Percy gave Harry a look that said 'I-told-you-so.'

"Hi, Harry, it's nice to meet you," said Sally. Harry smiled at her.

"Thank you for inviting me," he said. "Hello, Mr. Brunner."

"It's just Jack, Harry," Chiron said. "Nice to see you again."

The night passed by rather quickly. Harry enjoyed spending time with Percy's family, and Percy felt more like his old self having a friend there. The pain of losing his friends was still there, but meeting new people certainly was helping him move on. Playing charades and watching a movie certainly helped too. It was the most fun Percy had, had in a very long time.

"I should probably get going," said Harry as it got later. "My family will be going crazy not knowing where I am, and I leave tomorrow for school."

"Where do you go to school?" asked Paul curiously. "I don't really know all of the high schools around here."

"We just call it Secondary school," Harry said, "and I go to a boarding school up in Scotland."

"Do they usually accept new students?" asked Sally. "I'm sure Percy would like to find a school to attend."

Percy grimaced at the thought of starting another school. He didn't exactly have the best track record when it came to schooling. Six expulsions in six years.

"I don't think so." Harry gave them an apologetic look. "It's rather exclusive."

"Then I'd definitely not be able to attend," said Percy with a laugh. Sally pursed her lips and glared at Percy. Percy withered under her glare. "I'll walk you to the door."  
Percy led Harry quickly out of the house and back towards the street. "What time are you getting picked up tomorrow?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. Could be in the morning or late at night. My ride is rather...strange about keeping a schedule."

"Ah," Percy nodded. "Well in case I don't see you, have a great school year."

Harry smiled and held his hand out to shake Percy's. "Thanks. Hope you find something to pass the year."

Percy smiled and shook Harry's hand. "I'll figure something out."

In truth, Percy had a very important job this year though Harry couldn't know that. Harry turned to walk back home before he stopped. He turned back to Percy looking more like the kid Percy had seen earlier that evening.

"Thank you, Percy," Harry said sincerely. "Tonight meant a lot to me. No one really knows...you know..."

Percy nodded but didn't force Harry to explain himself. He knew. "Take care of yourself, Potter."

"You too, Jackson," Harry responded with a smile. They had a bond.

««‡»»

It was already noon, and Percy still hadn't seen anybody pull up in front of Harry's home. Harry had told him that his family were the Dursley's, but Percy refused to acknowledge them as a real family. After Harry had gone home, Percy had wondered what kind of reception he would have. He hadn't heard anything, but that didn't mean his family wasn't furious. He'd be surprised if they weren't.

"Percy," came Sally's voice on the other side of his bedroom door. "You awake?"

"Yeah, mom," Percy replied. "I'll be down in just a minute."

He looked back out at Harry's house. He saw something flash through the windows. He quickly opened his window and tried to listen. There were a few people out mowing their lawns, so he couldn't just go down there and eavesdrop outside of their window.

"...what is this freakishness?!...won't tolerate it!" came fragments of the uncle's yells. Percy frowned wondering what had happened.

"Get out! Go!"

A few moments later, another flash came through the windows followed by complete silence in the house. Percy frowned. Something had happened over there, and he was concerned for Harry. Realizing there was nothing he could do, he left his room and headed down the stairs. He walked into the kitchen, kissed his mom on the cheek, and smiled at Chiron.

"Are you ready for another day of training?" asked Chiron as Percy looked at the food Sally was making for lunch.

"Yep," said Percy. "I think I need it."

"Eat up, and I'll meet you outside."

Percy ate his lunch quickly, kissed his mom again, and went to the backyard. Chiron sat in his wheelchair off to the side leaving the majority of the yard open for Percy to train.

"What are we working on today?"

Chiron opened his mouth to explain when Sally poked her head out.

"Percy? Chiron? There's someone here to see you."

Chiron and Percy glanced at each other uncertainly but headed back inside. Sally led them to the formal sitting area where two adults sat on the couch. Both wore large, billowing robes, but Percy recognized the woman.

"Lady Hecate," he said bowing. Sally's eyes widened at the prospect of having a goddess in her home and followed suite. Chiron simply bowed his head.

"You do not need to bow to me, Perseus," Hecate said. "I have only come to give you some direction."

"What do you mean?" asked Sally hesitantly. Percy turned towards her.

"Hecate and Hestia came to me a few days ago..." Percy proceeded to explain their true reason for moving to England. Sally did not seem pleased that her son was being forced to help the gods again, but seeing how much it meant to him, she did not have the heart to get angry.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked. Percy nodded.

"I need to do this."

Sally sighed. "Oh alright...I'm going to go out for a walk."

"I love you, mom," Percy said quietly to her. Sally smiled at him and nodded.

"I love you too. The world doesn't deserve you."

Hecate coughed and brought the attention back to her. Sally quietly excused herself and left the house leaving Percy and Chiron alone with the goddess and the other person.

"Perseus, let me introduce you to Albus Dumbledore, one of my legacies."

Percy eyed the man. He appeared to be very old. He wore light grey robes with stars and crescent moons, and he wore moon shaped glasses. Percy held back a snort at the look. It appeared that the man took all of the stereotypes of magicians and incorporated them to his wardrobe. Nevertheless, Percy shook the man's hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Perseus," Dumbledore said. His voice did not reflect his appearance. While he appeared to be crazy and eccentric, his voice carried raw power and authority. "I am the Headmaster at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

Percy once again held back a snort. "Nice to meet you too. Percy Jackson...demigod."

Calling himself demigod as a title felt really strange, and Chiron did not hold back his snort. Percy glared at him.

"As Dumbledore said," Hecate said, "he is the headmaster at the only school of magic in the United Kingdom. He is also one of very few people in the mortal realm to know of my existence."

"I'm assuming that you brought him here so that he can give me some insight into the magical world?" asked Percy. He hoped that he didn't sound sarcastic.

"Gracious no," Dumbledore chuckled. "You'll have to learn that on your own."

Percy frowned. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you here then?'

"He is here to offer you a place at Hogwarts," Hecate stated. "The child of prophecy that I need you to help attends the school. You will only be able to help him if you are there as well."

"So I'm to go to school?" Percy asked incredulously. "In case you don't remember, I am dyslexic and I have ADHD. I don't do well in school."

"I am aware of that, Perseus." Hecate's voice sent a chill down Percy's spine. "You will not need to attend classes if you do not wish to."

Percy scrunched up his nose. "I'm confused then. I'm supposed to go to the school to help this kid, but I don't need to take classes?"

"That is one option, yes," said Dumbledore. "I can offer you lodging and we can set up private meetings between you and the student. However, you can take the classes if you choose to. This year in particular will not be as academically heavy as most other years."

"Let's say I do take classes," Percy said carefully. "Will I be taking classes with the student or with the youngest grade? Speaking of which, how old is this student?"

"He is two years younger than you," Dumbledore said. "You are sixteen correct?"

Percy nodded.

"You will be taking classes with students your own age," Dumbledore continued.

"But I'll be at a major disadvantage."

"The choice is yours," Hecate interjected. "You can either live at the school and be confined to your room, or you can take the classes offered."

Percy sighed and looked over at Chiron. "Will Chiron be joining me?"

"Chiron will be most welcome," said Dumbledore. "Our gamekeeper, Hagrid, has built an extension to his home to provide lodging for him."

"What should I do?" asked Percy to Chiron. Chiron shrugged.

"Do what your heart tells you to do."

Percy closed his eyes and thought hard. After a few moments, he opened them again and looked at Dumbledore and Hecate. "I guess I'll take the classes."

"Splendid!" Dumbledore cheered. He handed Percy a piece of paper that was most definitely not printer paper. "Here is a list of supplies you'll need for the school year. I will send someone that I trust in a few days to take you to get them."

Percy nodded uncertainly. He looked at the paper and tried to read it but found it difficult. This year would be very difficult.

"If you're going to help train this child," Hecate spoke up, "then I cannot afford to have you so behind the others."

"How will I catch up then?" asked Percy. "I can't imagine I have much time before the school year begins."

"No, you do not," Hecate agreed. "The year begins on the first of September."

" _Di Immortales,_ " cursed Percy. "I definitely can't catch up that quickly."

Hecate stepped towards Percy. "We shall see about that." She placed a finger to his forehead and Percy's world went dark.

 **A/N: Let me say this now: I am not British. I have never been to the UK or Europe at all, so I will more than likely mess up some of the colloquialisms. PLEASE tell me. I want to improve my writing and part of that means making even the littlest corrections. Anyways...thank you all who have followed, favorited, and reviewed this story. You guys are awesome! I hope you enjoyed this chapter despite it being very much a filler chapter. Next one will have Percy...actually, you'll just have to wait and find out won't ya?**

 **If you enjoyed the story (or even if you didn't) leave a review! All are appreciated! (except for flames. Keep all criticism professional and constructive). Till next time!**

 **(unedited chapter)**


	4. Chapter 4

"So Percy will be attending a new school in Scotland in order to help a...wizard...with a prophecy?"

"I'm afraid so. Someone will be coming sometime soon in order to help Percy get school supplies."

"When do classes start at this _school_?"

"The first of September according to this Dumbledore guy."

Percy groaned and opened his eyes. The last thing he remembered was Hecate walking up to him. He felt a soft hand on his shoulder.

"Careful, Percy," said Sally. "Don't sit up just yet. You might have a concussion."

"What happened?" he asked.

"Hecate pressed her finger up to your forehead, and you passed out," said Chiron from the other side of the couch Percy was lying on. "You hit your head pretty hard."

Sally held out a small piece of Ambrosia-god food-and Percy took it gratefully. He stuck the food in his mouth and swallowed, feeling it heal his body. Sally offered him a glass of water which he smiled and drank. Color returned to his face, and he forced himself to sit up.

"Chiron filled you in on everything?" Percy asked his mom.

Sally nodded. "Percy, are you absolutely sure about this? You've had a very stressful summer."

"I'm sure," Percy nodded firmly. "Sitting around doing nothing isn't going to make things better. This way I'll be taking my mind off everything that's happened, and I can help someone else."

"I'm so proud of you, Percy," Sally said with a teary smile. "I'm going to prepare dinner."

"Pizza?" asked Percy hopefully. Chiron perked up and nodded fervently. Sally laughed and walked into the kitchen. "Is that a yes?" No response. Percy sighed and looked at Chiron.

"So how long was I out?"

"About a day and a half," Chiron said. Percy's eyes widened.

"A _day and a half_?" he rasped out. Chiron nodded.

"Dumbledore used some sort of stick thing, and you floated over onto the couch," Chiron explained.

"Was it a magic wand?" Percy teased.

Chiron laughed. "Sure let's call it that. Definitely beats his 'magic stick.'"

Percy stared at him for a second before they both began laughing. They laughed so hard they were forced to clutch their stomachs.

"I really don't think you should call it that," Percy said once he managed to regain his breath. When he finally calmed, he looked around the room. "Has anybody stopped by?"

Chiron shook his head still smiling a little bit. "Nobody yet. I'm sure someone will come tomorrow. It's already the 26th. School starts in less than a week."

Percy nodded and sat back. He thought about attending the new school when thoughts that he had never had before flashed through his mind. He grimaced at the painful headache and clutched his head. Chiron rolled over with concern.

"Percy, are you okay?"

Percy nodded but didn't look up. It took a minute or so before it passed. Percy looked up, his eyes wide. "I-I'm all caught up."

"What do you mean?" asked Chiron confused. Percy stood up and began pacing.

"I know magic now," Percy said. Awe laced his words. "I know different spells and potions and theory. It's crazy!"

"That must be what Hecate meant," Chiron said. "She probably gave you that knowledge so that you will be able to attend classes without being too far behind."

"It'll also help explain my backstory," Percy agreed. "I don't exactly want to reveal who I am. Being able to use magic will help give me some credit."

"Do you know what your backstory will be?"

"Not yet. I'll come up with something."

"That Dumbledore guy will give you something I'm sure."

Percy nodded and turned to the kitchen. "I smell pizza. Let's eat and then we can discuss this later."

Chiron clasped his hands in anticipation of the pizza and rolled into the kitchen in front of Percy. They took their places at the table and smiled at the pizza box on the table. Paul and Sally were already sitting at the table and waited patiently to begin eating.

"How are you feeling, Percy?" asked Paul with concern. Percy smiled at him as he grabbed two slices of pepperoni.

"I'm feeling fine. Hecate placed a lot of information in my head, and it was a lot to process."

"Sally told me everything that's been going on. Are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this?"

Paul was by no means Percy's father, but Percy knew that Paul genuinely cared for him. Had it been anybody else, Percy would not have reacted well to being questioned. Since it was Paul, though, he said, "I'm sure. I have to do this."

Paul didn't press the matter. He simply nodded and took a bite of his pizza. The table was silent as they ate. Percy wasn't exactly sure if he was supposed to say anything, so he stayed quiet. All too soon the pizza was gone and was replaced with blue ice cream. Paul began to tell them of his last few days. Percy couldn't comprehend why someone would be so eager about being in school. Even Indiana Jones, the coolest professor ever, preferred being in the field.

"You taught some didn't you, Chiron?" asked Paul.

Chiron blushed. "I'm assuming you mean in an academic setting."

"Yes, of course."

"I actually taught Percy here for a little bit," Chiron said. "I was mostly there since Grover, who is a satyr, knew there was something unbelievably special about Percy."

"He's being modest," said Percy. "He used to have these awesome history days where we would wear Roman armor and answer questions."

"Fascinating!" Paul said eagerly. "I wonder if I can incorporate something like that in my lessons." Paul thought for a moment. "Would you be willing to come in as a guest lecturer?"

"Actually, I am going to be with Percy at Pigzits."

"Hogwarts," Percy corrected with a laugh. "You definitely don't want to say that there."

Paul's eyes widened. "Really? Will you be teaching there?"

Chiron shrugged. "I'm not sure yet. I just know that I'm going to be there. Probably to keep Percy from getting into trouble."

"I won't get into trouble," Percy grumbled. Sally snorted and everyone turned towards her.

"Percy, you better not do anything to get yourself expelled from this school," she said ignoring her blush. "I don't care if it's a magic school or not."

"I'm still a bit confused by that," Paul said. "How exactly does this entire magical world exist? Wouldn't you have known about them already?"

Percy shook his head. "Hecate said that they are her legacies, and she revealed to me that many years ago they actually did mingle with the rest of the world, but that prejudices made them go into hiding."

Chiron's head seemed to click. "I actually do remember a time when Hecate's children and legacies spread throughout the world. I was spending most of my time training demigods, so I never really dealt with any of them." He hesitated. "I heard some of the Hecate campers a few decades ago mention that one of Hecate's legacies was causing a lot of trouble in Europe and then again about twenty years ago."

"Grindlewald and Voldemort," Percy said. He didn't know them at all, but the names popped into his head.

Sally, Chiron, and Paul snorted.

"Those are their names?" asked Sally with a laugh. "Do all wizards have such strange names? First Dumbledore and now Grindlewald and Voldemort."

They all began to laugh which eventually led to them crying and nearly falling out of their seats. Percy clutched his gut painfully as his laughter bruised his ribs. Paul managed to regain his composure and stood up. He held up his spoon and held it up valiantly.

"To Percy," he said in a mock baritone voice. "May he vanquish Wartyvole, the next evil wizard!"

They all held up their spoons in salute and cheered. Percy sat back in his chair and smiled brightly. It felt good to be happy again. He glanced out the window. Glistening beautifully in the sky was the Defender Constellation. After the Battle for Manhattan, Artemis had created a new constellation to commemorate those that had fallen to defend Olympus. Percy raised his spoon to the Defender. _I'll make you all proud,_ Percy thought. _I'll make you proud._

"Well, it's late," Sally said. "We should all go to bed. Do you know if they will be picking you up tomorrow?"

Percy shook his head. "I'm not sure. Dumbledore never said who would come or when."

Paul snorted at the name Dumbledore. Sally slapped him on the back of the head.

"If they do come," Chiron said laughing at Paul, "you should get some rest, Percy."

Percy nodded and stood up. "Alright. Goodnight everyone."

"Goodnight," they said in unison. Percy placed his dirty dishes in the sink and headed up to his room. It did not take long before he fell asleep.

««‡»»

Percy woke the next morning much earlier than he had anticipated. It was already nine in the morning-two hours earlier than he normally liked to wake up. The sun had already risen bathing his room. He got up, grabbed some clean clothes, and headed into his own bath to shower.

The warm water was very refreshing and woke Percy up better than any type of caffeine. He stayed in the shower for several minutes. It had taken him a few tries to figure out the shower as it was quite different from his shower back home, but when he figured it out he decided to enjoy it. Unfortunately, the water turned cold rather quickly. He grimaced and turned off the shower. He dried himself off and put on his jeans and t-shirt. He looked at himself in the mirror and used his powers to dry himself off without using a towel.

When he was done getting ready, Percy went downstairs. As he reached the bottom of the stairs, someone knocked at the door. His heart jumped. Hopefully this was whoever Dumbledore was planning on sending over. Percy opened the door and found himself looking at a witch. Literally, the woman standing before him was dressed as a stereotypical witch. She had a long, black robe and wore a pointed hat.

"Perseus Jackson?" asked the woman.

Percy nodded. "That's me. Did Dumbledore send you?"

"My name is Professor McGonagall," she confirmed. "I am a professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. _Professor_ Dumbledore sent me here to take you to Diagon Alley." She emphasised the word professor and gave Percy a stern look. Percy figured the look would be intimidating for most people, but after having encountered Kronos and several other powerful beings, Percy wasn't all to discomforted by the look.

"Diagonally?" he asked confused.

"Diagon Alley," McGonagall said making sure to separate the words. "It is a street full of shops for Magical people. We'll be getting your school supplies there."

"How long will we be gone?"

"As soon as we finish there we will be heading to Hogwarts."

Percy's eyes widened. "I haven't even packed yet. Or said goodbye to my mother! Plus, doesn't school start in just a few days?"

"I was instructed to bring you to Hogwarts today in order to be sorted and better familiarize yourself with the school and grounds," McGonagall said. "Go pack quickly and say goodbye to your mother."

"My grandpa is supposed to be coming with me as well," Percy said.

McGonagall nodded. "Yes, please bring Mr. Brunner with you."

 _Mr. Brunner_ , thought Percy. _So Dumbledore hasn't told her who I am or why I'm here._

"I'll be right back," Percy said opening the door wider for her. "Please come on in."

McGonagall's stern look softened, and she stepped inside. "Thank you, Mr. Jackson."

Percy nodded though he was slightly put off by the formal tone. He left and ran upstairs. He grabbed his suitcase and realized that he still hadn't quite finished unpacking. Practically everything he needed was already packed and ready to go. He went into the bathroom and grabbed his shampoo and deodorant. Grabbing his backpack and his suitcase, Percy went back downstairs and found Professor McGonagall and Sally sitting on the couch having a friendly conversation.

"...we don't really know a lot about magic," Sally was saying. "Percy never really shows us what he can do or tells us anything."

Percy felt pride well up in his chest. His mother was an excellent liar which was very good since Percy had told her not to mention anything about his true purpose to anybody.

"That is normal," said McGonagall. "We have a statue of secrecy in place to does not allow students to use magic outside of school until they are seventeen."

"I just never felt the need to explain everything, mom," said Percy. Sally stood up and hugged Percy tightly.

"Mom, I'll be okay!"

"I know you can take care of yourself," Sally said tearfully. "Just don't get yourself into trouble, young man."

"I won't mom. I promise."

Sally pulled away and gave him a look. Percy blushed.

"I'll try not to."

She laughed and hugged him again before letting go. "When will you be back?"

"Students get to come home during the winter holidays," said McGonagall.

"So you'll be home for Christmas?" asked Sally.

Percy nodded. "I intend to be. Where's Grandpa Jack?"

"I'm here," said Chiron rolling into the living room. He wiped his mouth with a napkin and picked up his bag that sat beside the doorway leading into the kitchen. "How exactly will we be going to this Diagon Alley?"

McGonagall seemed to be slightly taken aback by Chiron in his wheelchair, but she regained her composure so quickly Percy wasn't entirely sure he had seen anything. The professor stood up and clasped her hands together.

"There is a bus that we can take," she said.

"A magical bus?" asked Percy skeptically. Chiron covered his mouth to cover his smirk.

"Yes, it is called the Knight Bus," McGonagall said sternly. Percy swung his duffel bag over his shoulder and grabbed Chiron's bag as well.

"I guess we should get going then," Percy said. He pulled his mom in for an awkward side hug and kissed her cheek. "Love you, mom. I'll see you in a few months."

After all the goodbyes, Percy and Chiron found themselves standing outside their house on the curb. They watched amused as McGonagall pulled a stick out from her sleeve.

"Wand," Percy whispered. "Not a magic stick."

Chiron suppressed a snort. McGonagall held her wand out and pointed it above the street. Percy cocked his head at that. What was she doing? Chiron seemed equally confused. Just as Percy was about to question the strange professor, a massive, triple decker bus came barreling down the street. Percy resisted the urge to pull out Anaklusmos from his pocket. McGonagall stood to the side and glanced around the neighborhood.

"Won't people see this?" asked Chiron.

"Muggles don't see much," was her response. Chiron nodded but when she turned away, he looked at Percy.

 _Muggles?_ He mouthed.

 _People who can not use magic_ , Percy mouthed back. Hecate's knowledge was already coming in useful. Chiron nodded with understanding. The door to the bus opened, and a very strange, gangly man stumbled out. He wore a train conductor's hat and had wool, fingerless gloves.

"Professor McGonagall," he said with surprise. "Didn't expect to see you here."

The professor pointed to Percy and Chiron. "Hello, Mr. Shunpike. I am escorting a new student and assistant professor to Diagon Alley."

Stan glanced at Percy and Chiron the latter of which looking slightly nervous about being introduced as an assistant professor. Stan held a hand out to Percy. "I'm Stan Shunpike. Pleased to meet ya."

"Percy Jackson," Percy greeted shaking his hand. Stan's eyes widened.

"American, eh? What brings ya to England?"

"My step-father just accepted a position at a local college, so I'm transferring to Hogwarts."

"You were at Ilvermorny then?"

"Uh...yes. I was," Percy said. Hecate had neglected to tell him anything about other magical schools aside from Hogwarts. He hadn't realized how important that information would be until now.

"Fascinatin'," Stan said. "You'll like Hogwarts, Percy. I've heard it's bigger than Ilvermorny."

Percy just nodded. "I hope so."

"We really should be going, Mr. Shunpike," said McGonagall. "Percy is expected to be at Hogwarts in a few short hours, and he still needs to get his school supplies."

"Yes, o'course, Professor," Stan said and stepped to the side to let them onto the bus. He glanced around and pulled his wand out. He tapped the steps three times, and they became a ramp that Chiron could easily roll up on. Percy and Chiron smiled at him gratefully and climbed aboard the Knight Bus.

The Bus itself was rather eccentric. Instead of seats, the bus had beds. Instead of normal lights, the bus had chandeliers. Even with these changes, the weirdest part of the bus to Percy was the driver. Sitting behind the wheel was a tiny man with massive glasses. Percy wasn't entirely sure he could even look out the window.

"Who are you, mon?" came a voice from beside the driver. Percy jumped when he noticed the deformed, decayed head hanging from the rearview mirror.

"Percy," Percy replied. The head tsked.

"American," the head said. Percy thought the head was shaking itself no, but it was hard to tell.

"Take a seat, Mr. Jackson," said McGonagall. Percy turned and found the professor sitting awkwardly on one of the beds and Chiron in his seat beside her. Percy sat down on the bed on Chiron's other seat, and just as he did, the driver took off. Percy flipped backwards and landed on the other side of the bed. He was absolutely grateful for his Achilles' Curse otherwise he would've broken his skull. When he finally managed to get back on the bed, the bus slammed to a stop, and he flew forward and landed in a heap against the doors. Everyone began laughing.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, laugh it up," Percy grumbled as he got up. "We there now?"

Professor McGonagall stood up with a smile threatening to break her stern expression. She waved her wand and Chiron's wheelchair slid back a few inches before he stopped himself and rolled forward and out of the bus. Percy followed him and waited for McGonagall who was handing Stan a few coins.

"Are we ready to go?" asked McGonagall. Percy and Chiron nodded. "Then let's go."

She led them down a dark street. Even midday the street was engulfed in shadows. A block down the street they reached a door with a sign that read 'The Leaky Cauldron.' Percy shook his head. This magical world was just too stereotypical. McGonagall opened the door for them and they went inside. Inside the Leaky Cauldron was even darker than outside. Many candles lit the area, but even still it wasn't the most well lit place.

A hunched man hobbled over towards them with a bright smile. Percy glanced at McGonagall and was shocked to see an actual smile on her face.

"Hello, Tom," she said brightly. Tom smiled back at her.

"Professor McGonagall! It's so good to see you! What can I do for you today?"

"Just passage to Diagon Alley."

Tom nodded and stepped to the side. "New student?"

McGonagall nodded.

"The way is open. Go on ahead."

She smiled at Tom and led Percy and Chiron through the bar towards a back room. The room was completely empty save for a single door. McGonagall opened the door and headed outside into a small courtyard. The courtyard itself was plain and ordinary, but it was actually under direct sunlight. Percy looked around but did not see any 'magical' street. McGonagall must have seen his reaction because she smirked and walked over to the far wall.

"I think she's crazy," whispered Chiron. Percy nodded thinking the same thing. McGonagall pulled her wand out and tapped the wall in an intricate pattern. Chiron turned to make another comment when the wall made a grinding sound. Percy and Chiron watched in awe as the wall separated revealing an entire world behind it.

"Welcome to Diagon Alley," McGonagall said with a slight smile. "The best magical street in England."

"Isn't this the only one?" asked Percy trying to think through everything Hecate had put in his mind. McGonagall shrugged.

"There are a few places here and there, but this is the only magical street that goes on for several blocks that is true."

"Either way this is very impressive," said Chiron. Percy nodded as they stepped onto the street mingling with the hundreds of other witches and wizards. Many people turned to look at them, but thankfully nobody really stared even though Chiron was the only person in a wheelchair. Percy thought he saw his friend Harry for a split second, but when he blinked and looked back, he was gone. Percy shrugged.

McGonagall strode forward with purpose pausing here and there to smile and say hello to various people. Percy assumed they were former students of hers. They passed several restaurants and little stores. On one block Percy saw a store called Eeylop's Owl Emporium with owls of all kinds in cages. McGonagall followed his line of sight.

"Do you have an owl, Mr. Jackson?" she asked.

"No I don't," he said. She nodded and continued walking down the street. Chiron looked up at Percy.

"Why owls?"

"They're used for communication."

"Why not just use Iris messages?" Chiron clicked his tongue. "They don't know about Iris messages do they?"

Percy shook his head. They continued down the street before McGonagall stopped in front of a store called Flourish and Blotts. She turned towards Percy and pointed at the store.

"Mr. Jackson, give this slip of paper to the clerk. They'll give you your textbooks for the school year. Do you at least have parchment and writing supplies?"

"I have writing supplies but no parchment."

McGonagall handed him a few coins that Percy recognized as Galleons. "Dumbledore said to give you these in the event that you needed more school supplies."

"Thanks," Percy said taking the coins and the slip of paper and putting them in his pocket. "Where will you be going?"

"I need to take Mr. Brunner here to Magical Menagerie. Our gameskeeper asked if he could order feed to be sent to Hogwarts."

Percy glanced at Chiron who nodded his head.

"I'll be fine, Percy. Go on and get your stuff."

"Where should I meet you guys?"

McGonagall looked around the street and pointed towards a store right next to Flourish and Blotts. "Meet us at Madam Malkin's. You'll need to get some robes I'm sure."

Percy nodded and they went their separate ways. He walked inside and went straight to the counter. An elderly gentleman stood behind the counter. He looked up when Percy walked up and eyed him carefully. Percy suddenly felt out of place in his t-shirt and jeans.

"Can I help you, young man?"

Percy handed the man the slip of paper.

"Ah, new transfer student," the man said after reading it. "I'll be right back."  
Percy was very surprised to see how fast the man moved despite how old he seemed. Then he thought back to his meeting with Dumbledore. Dumbledore seemed obscenely old, but he didn't seem to have any trouble moving. _I guess magical people just don't age the same way as other mortals_.

The man returned a few moments later with six different books. He slid the books across the counter.

"Miranda Goshawk's _The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 6,_ Libatius Borage's _Advanced Potion-Making_ , _Confronting the Faceless_ , Emeric Switch's _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration, Advanced Rune Translation,_ and _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_ ," the man said. Percy pursed his lips. He really hadn't needed all the titles. He could read albeit not perfectly. "Do you have a way to carry these?"

Percy nodded and showed the man his duffle bag. The old man shook his head at the bag and muttered something about muggle things.

"I don't need to pay?" asked Percy. The man paused at Percy's accent but shook his head.

"No need. This slip says Dumbledore will send the money over by owl. Good man that Dumbledore."

Percy nodded and thanked the man. He put his books in his bag and then looked around the store. "I need some parchment though."

The man nodded. "How much do you need?"

"Enough for the semester I guess. I can always come back and get more."

"1 Galleon will cover the entire year."

"I'll take that then," Percy said sliding the gold coin across the counter. The man pulled out a massive stack of parchment and handed it to him. Percy thanked the man and left the store. He made to go to Madam Malkin's when another thought crossed his mind. He didn't have a wand. How could he keep pretending to be a transfer student if he had no wand? Percy looked around but couldn't figure out where he could buy a wand. A rather kind looking woman with bright red hair was walking by, so Percy hesitantly stepped forward.

"Excuse me?"

The woman turned around. Her eyes widened for a split second but then she smiled warmly. "Can I help you, dear?"

"I just moved here from New York, and my wand got lost. Do you know where I can buy a new one?"

The woman gave him a pitying look and clasped her hands. She was a rather large woman that seemed to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. Even still Percy couldn't help but feel that her sympathy was genuine. He just didn't understand why it was so heart-breaking to lose a wand. It was just a stick.

"Ollivander's is the only place here you can get a wand," she said. "His store is just a few stores down over there." She pointed to Percy's left.

Percy stood up on his toes and tried to look over the crowd. He glanced around before finally finding the shop. He smiled at the woman and handed her a Galleon.

"No dear that is your money! I can't accept that!"

"Please take it," Percy said. "You took time to help a stranger. You deserve this!"

The woman blushed and took the coin. "Thank you,..." she trailed off.

"Percy," Percy said with a smile. "Percy Jackson."

The woman seemed slightly taken aback by his name, but she brushed it off quickly and smiled back. "I'm Molly Weasley. I have to go find my family, but I do hope you adjust quickly here." She paused. "Will you be attending Hogwarts?"

Percy nodded.

"What year?"

"Sixth."

"What house will you be in?"

Percy wasn't entirely sure what she meant by that. "I'm not sure yet."

Molly nodded. "If you are sorted into Gryffindor I have four children there. Two of them are your age actually."

"Terrific," Percy smiled. "I'll keep an eye out for the Weasley children."

"Have a good day, Percy," Molly said as she turned and walked away to find her family. Percy smiled at her kindness and went off to Ollivanders.

When Percy walked inside, he immediately realized just how strange this new world was. Boxes littered the entire store and shredded parchment was scattered all around. A little bell above the door rang when Percy opened the door, and it only took a few seconds for the shopkeeper, Ollivander, Percy presumed, to come walking in from the back. He had stark-white hair and seemed even older than McGonagall. Not quite as old as Dumbledore though.

"Ah, Perseus Jackson," said the man. Percy paused.

"You know who I am?"

"Yes," Ollivander said. "Hecate herself came to visit me a few days ago in a dream. Her existence has always been a legend in my family, but no Ollivander has seen her in over a thousand years."

Percy shrugged and stepped farther into the store. "I'm guessing you know that I'm here for a wand?"

"Yes, my boy, of course," said Ollivander. "I must admit that I am not too sure how long it will take to find the right wand for you. I've never had to find a wand for a demigod."

Percy glanced around quickly.

"Relax, Perseus. We are all alone here."

Percy didn't quite relax, but he turned back to Ollivander. "I have to meet Professor McGonagall soon, and she doesn't know about any of this, so I would appreciate it if we can hurry things up as much as possible."

Ollivander nodded and looked at the wall of wand boxes. He stared at the wall for a few minutes making Percy grow impatient. Just as he was ready to just walk back out, Ollivander pulled out a slender, black box. He opened the box and pulled out a slender, tan wand. The way he held it out was with total reverence, and Percy had to force himself not to make a sarcastic comment.

"Pine, eleven inches, with a pegasus hair core," Ollivander said confidently. "I am positive this is for you."

"How do you know?"

"I just know these things," said Ollivander with a knowing smile. "Go on. Give it a try."

Percy hesitantly took the wand from the man. The second his fingers touched the wand, he felt electricity shoot through his body. Magic suddenly became something beautiful and wonderful. It wasn't quite the same thing as when Percy was in the ocean or in water period, but it was incredible nonetheless.

"Give it a flick," whispered Ollivander. Percy just barely managed to avoid commenting on the innuendo. Sometimes he really hated having spent time in the Hermes cabin when he first learned he was a demigod. They had ruined everything.

Percy flicked the wand, and water shot out drenching the entire room. Ollivander clapped triumphantly and patted Percy's shoulder. He made to dry the room with his wand when Percy waved his hand. The water immediately dried.

"A son of Poseidon?" asked Ollivander. The awe was clearly evident in his voice. Percy nodded.

"You cannot tell anyone of this," Percy said seriously. "Not anyone until I tell you."

Ollivander nodded. "I swear."

"Swear on the Styx."

Ollivander cocked his head. Percy sighed.

"Say that you swear on the River Styx."

"I swear on the River Styx that I will not tell anyone about Perseus until He tells me," Ollivander said slowly. Thunder boomed in the distance. Percy smiled and patted Ollivander on the shoulder.

"I appreciate it. Now how much do I owe you?"

"Seven Galleons," said Ollivander. Percy dug into his pocket and pulled out seven golden coins. He handed them to Ollivander and left the store. "Perseus!"

Percy turned back.

"Thank you for your aid."

Percy nodded and left the store to head for Madam Malkin's.

 **A/N: We're inching closer to Percy's first time at Hogwarts! I hope you are all enjoying the story as much as I am writing it. This is definitely shaping into one of my favorite stories I've written. Thank you to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed! You guys are awesome.**

 **If you haven't already, hit that favorite/follow button and leave a review! Until next time!**

 **Thank you to Distorted-Me for editing this chapter!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Come on, mate," said Ron grabbing Harry's shoulder and pulling him away from the massive crowds near the entrance to Diagon Alley.

"Sorry," Harry said staring at the entrance. "I thought I saw Percy for a second there. With his grandpa too."

"The bloke who moved in across the street from you? Why would he be here?"

Harry shook his head. "I'm probably just seeing things."

"Does Dumbledore know about this?"

"I'm sure he does. Dumbledore knows everything."

"Ron! Harry!" called out Mr. Weasley from a few meters away. "This way, boys!"

Harry and Ron hurried over towards where the rest of the Weasley family and Hermione were waiting.

"I'm sorry," Harry said with a slight blush. "It was my fault, I thought I saw somebody."

"It's quite alright," said Mrs. Weasley. "Arthur, take the boys and Hermione to get their school supplies while I take Ginny. Let's meet for lunch at the Cauldron before heading to get the dress robes."

Arthur clasped his hands together and led the Golden Trio down the street to Flourish and Blotts. Hermione began rattling off all of the possible spells and potions they would be learning. Ron gave Harry an exasperated look, and Harry rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"We get it, Hermione," said Ron as they entered the store. "You're looking forward to schoolwork."

"You should be too!" said Hermione. "Next year is our OWLs! We need to be prepared!"

"We have an entire year...two years before then!"

Harry ignored his friends as they continued to bicker. He walked towards the back of the store where he knew all of the Hogwarts' required texts were kept. He pulled out his letter from school and began scouring the racks for his books. Once he had all of his books he headed over to where the ink and parchment was kept. Hermione, having finally finished arguing with Ron, stormed over.

"Ugh! He annoys me so much," she growled. Harry chuckled. "You think it's funny?"

Harry sobered up and shook his head. "Err, no?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and picked out her ink and parchment. Harry just grabbed whatever she got since he wasn't as knowledgeable in these sorts of things. He followed her towards the front of the store as another student was walking out. Harry cocked his head. The student was much taller and had hair just as black as Harry's. _Is that Percy?_ he thought to himself. He waited for the student to turn around, but he never did.

"Harry, come on," urged Hermione. Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts and went to the front to pay for his books. Ron walked on over a few moments later with his dad. After everything was paid for, they headed back outside to meet Mrs. Weasley and Ginny for lunch. They pushed their way through the crowds before finally reaching the Leaky Cauldron.

Mr. Weasley craned his neck and spotted his wife and daughter sitting in a booth in the back corner. Ginny waved them over and smiled brightly at Ron.

"We got you something," she said. Ron eyed her warily.

"What?"

Mrs. Weasley reached beside her and pulled out a bird cage from the seat beside her. Ron's eyes widened as he saw the small, brown owl flying around rapidly inside the cage.

"An owl?" he whispered.

"His name is Pigwidgeon," said Ginny with a smirk. "I named him myself."

Ron groaned as Harry and Hermione snickered at the name. "Really?"

"Seriously."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

Ron huffed before smiling at the bird.

"That's a Scops Owl," said Hermione as they all sat down. "He seems to be really energetic."

"How did you get him, mum?" asked Ron. The Weasleys were not the most well-to-do family, and owls could be fairly expensive.

Mrs. Weasley blushed a tad. "I ran into a kind young man who needed directions. I told him where to go and he gave me a Galleon. We were just a Galleon short of affording Pig here, but that Galleon brought us even."

"That was very kind of him," said Mr. Weasley. "What did you get, Gin?"

Ginny shrugged. "I got a few candies and joke stuff. Fred and George asked me to get a few things for them."

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips but said nothing. She glanced at the clock on the wall. "We need to hurry and eat so we can do our last bit of shopping before returning home. After the crazy night you all had yesterday I'm sure you will all enjoy a nice meal."

Ron seemed especially pleased about it since a nice meal for Molly Weasley meant a gourmet feast for everyone else. Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all rolled their eyes at the eagerness on Ron's face but smiled happily. It really had been a crazy day yesterday. Mr. Weasley had managed to get them tickets to the Quidditch World Cup. Everything had gone perfectly. Ireland had won despite Bulgaria's seeker, Viktor Krum, catching the snitch. Then people dressed as Death Eaters had arrived and destroyed all of the camps. Usually the crazy things happened at the end of the school year for Harry. Not before.

The food arrived a few moments later, and they quickly devoured it. The kids talked about the Quidditch World Cup that had occurred the day before, wishing to remember it for the great time they had before the Death Eaters had arrived and ruined everything. Mrs. Weasley huffed but said nothing when they explained how Fred and George had quite a lot of money on their bet.

"Let's head over to Madam Malkin's," said Mrs. Weasley standing up.

"Can't you just adjust our robes?" asked Ron. Mrs. Weasley shook her head.

"We need to find dress robes."

"What for?"

"It's a surprise for now," said Mr. Weasley with a mischievous look. Ginny perked up.

"Will it be for everyone?"

Mr. Weasley shook his head sadly at her. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It's for fourth years and up."

Ginny seemed a bit miffed but shook it off. "Oh well. Not the end of the world."

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Hermione said sincerely. Ginny shrugged and smiled.

"Let's just find you something."

"I'll take the boys someplace else first," Mr. Weasley said. "You girls can get your shopping done and then we will go."

Mrs. Weasley nodded in agreement and led the girls down the street to Madam Malkin's. Mr. Weasley turned to Ron and Harry and gave them a smirk.

"How about we stop by Quality Quidditch?"

Harry and Ron shared a wide grin and took off down the street to the quidditch store. Even though Ron wasn't on the Gryffindor house team, he was the biggest quidditch fan Harry knew. Ron was an expert in tactics and knew more about professional players than practically anybody else at Hogwarts. Harry just enjoyed flying; playing seeker was an added bonus.

"Do you need a broom servicing kit?" asked Ron as they entered the store. Harry shook his head.

"I still haven't finished using the one Sirius gave me for my birthday. I just like looking."

Ron shrugged and headed towards the book racks where the store kept its books on quidditch tactics. Those were the only books Harry had ever seen Ron willingly read. He shook his head in amusement. If only Hermione could take Ron's passion for quidditch and point it at school work. He really didn't have much room to critique his friend, though. He didn't put much effort into school except for in DADA...well not with Lockhart but with Remus last year.

"Who do you think is going to be quidditch captain this year now that Wood is gone?"

Harry shrugged. "Probably Angelina. She's got good leadership skills."

"Plus she would be up against Fred, George, and Alicia for the role," quipped Ron. Harry nodded with a smirk. Alicia could probably do the job, but she wasn't as commanding as Angelina, and Fred and George were...well they were Fred and George. Ron pulled out two different books from the shelves.

"You should give these to Angelina," he said. Harry glanced at the titles. _51 Successful Tactics_ and _a Guide to Leading Your Team to Victory_.

"There's really a guide for that?"

Ron nodded. "It's more of a memoir. I read it a few years ago."

Harry figured it wouldn't hurt.

"So what do you think we need dress robes for?" Harry asked. Ron grimaced.

"It's probably for some stupid dance or something."

"A dance?"

"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Bill and Charlie said that they had to get dress robes once during school for a dance."

"I don't know how to dance," Harry stated. Ron nodded.

"Me neither."

"Will we have to go?"

"I doubt they'll make us if we don't want to go."

Harry felt a bit comforted by that. He hated being at the center of attention; unfortunately, he felt an uneasy feeling that he would be forced to attend the dance or worse: have to dance.

Mr. Weasley walked over to them from where he had been inspecting the broom models. He placed a hand on both boys' shoulders. "You both ready to go?"

The boys nodded and they headed to the front to pay for the books. Harry placed the correct amount of money on the desk and thanked the clerk. He and Ron shared a grimace as they began following Mr. Weasley out of the store and down towards Madam Malkin's.

"Do we have to get dress robes?" asked Ron with a grimace. Mr. Weasley just smiled.

"Well we had robes set for you, Ron, but Bill gave us some money to buy you new robes."

"What were the robes you already had like?" Ron hated trying on new clothes. Harry didn't blame him.

"You would hate them," Mr. Weasley confirmed. "They have lacy frills all around the shoulders. They belonged to your great, great grandfather."

Ron shuddered. "Alright, alright, let's go try on some robes."

"I figured as much." Mr. Weasley patted Ron's shoulder and winked at Harry who grinned. They headed into the store just as Mrs. Weasley and the girls were walking out. Harry eyed the girls warily. Both were giggling like mad.

"What are you giggling at?" asked Ron confused. Harry nodded. Hermione and Ginny blushed but began laughing.

"Oh nothing," said Ginny.

"Ginny saw a cute guy trying on new robes with Professor McGonagall a few minutes ago," Hermione grinned. Ginny's face flushed, and she elbowed Hermione in the ribs. Hermione laughed and pushed Ginny good-naturedly. Ron bristled at the thought of his sister and Hermione finding a guy cute. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley rolled their eyes at their son's overprotective nature.

"Professor McGonagall was here?" asked Harry trying to change subjects.

"It was weird," Hermione agreed. "I think it was a transfer student."

"That was the kind boy that I gave directions to earlier," said Mrs. Weasley with a nod. "He's new here from America."

Harry furrowed his brow. First Percy, and American, had moved in across the street, and now an American was transferring to Hogwarts. It was a strange coincidence. The fact that he thought he had seen Percy earlier that day went completely forgotten.

"Really?" asked Hermione. Ron gave her a strange look. _Jealous much?_ thought Harry amused.

Mrs. Weasley nodded. "He said he is a sixth year. Now come on, girls. Let's let the boys get their robes." She kissed Mr. Weasley on the cheek. "I'll take the girls home and prepare dinner."

Mr. Weasley nodded and ushered the reluctant boys into the clothing store. Harry and Ron grumbled constantly as they were forced to try on various robes. They finally settled on a dark emerald set for Harry and black robes for Ron. Looking at themselves in the mirror, both decided that they didn't look too weird. Mr. Weasley rolled his eyes at them. They were completely clueless.

After they paid for everything, Mr. Weasley led the boys back to the Leaky Cauldron from where they flood back to the Burrow, the Weasley family home. Inside, Fred and George were showing Ginny and Hermione their latest creations for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, their start-up business, while Bill and Charlie watched with grins on their faces. Mrs. Weasley stood in the kitchen chopping vegetables as enchanted pots and knives boiled and sliced. When they walked inside, Bill and Charlie waved at the boys and pointed at Fred and George.

"Try this incredible candy!"

"It really is quite dandy!"

"Pop it in and take a bite!"

"We promise it won't give you a fright!"

Ginny and Hermione giggled at the twins' antics as they rehearsed their sales pitch for their latest product.

"Go ahead."

"Give it a try!"

Ginny pursed her lips. "Do you guys really believe we would fall for that?"

"What now?" said Ron confused as he popped one of the little candies into his mouth. The twins eyed him the way a cat would eye a mouse. Charlie and Bill palmed their faces, and Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes. Ron opened his mouth to ask something else when, with a loud pop, turned into a large, red canary. Everyone in the room including Mr. Weasley burst out laughing. Ron cried out angrily and began flapping his wings as fast as he could.

"Alright, boys, that's enough," said Mr. Weasley with a laugh. "Turn him back."

"Father, dearest," said one of the twins. Harry thought it was most likely George.

"We wish we could," said the other.

"But ickle Ronnikins has to wait it out."

Mr. Weasley frowned. "How long will that take?"

The twins pointed at Ron who immediately began molting his red feathers. It took a few more moments before all the feathers fell off and Ron returned to normal. He kept flapping his arms for a few seconds before he realized he was back to normal. He glared at the twins who stood up and bowed.

"We apologize for the abrupt exit."

"But we must be going!"

"So long!"

"Farewell!"

The twins rushed up the steps to their room before Ron could get a hold of them. Everyone else snickered. Ron groaned and went to go sit at the dinner table. Bill patted Harry's shoulder and followed his brother. Harry had gotten to know Bill and Charlie fairly well in the last few days that he'd been with the Weasleys. Harry had already known that Bill was a curse breaker in Egypt, but he was fascinated to learn that Charlie worked at a dragon reservation in Romania. Harry wasn't too sure he would want to work with dragons, but being a curse breaker sounded very interesting.

"Dinner is ready!" called out Mrs. Weasley breaking Harry from his musing. The twins stormed down the steps followed by Ginny and Hermione. Mr. Weasley and Charlie had somehow came in and sat down without Harry realizing it. Despite all the people there was still a bit of tension in the air. Percy, the third Weasley boy, was not on good terms with his parents having sided with the Ministry over his father.

Dinner was as lively as ever at the Burrow. Harry smiled brightly as he listened in to all the conversations. The twins were conspiring together about whatever it was they conspired about. Bill, Mr. Weasley, and Charlie were discussing the differences between Egypt, Romania, and Britain, and Ron and Ginny were in a heated discussion with Hermione about the importance of quidditch. It felt like home which was something Harry had always wanted but never had. Well...spending time with Percy and his family had been very nice. It was too bad they were muggles.

After dinner, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were tasked with cleaning up the table and washing the dishes. Harry didn't mind the work; it was much better than being forced to do it for his family. When they finished picking up the table and moved to washing the dishes, Harry glanced around to make sure they were alone.

"I had a dream a few nights ago," he said quietly. Ron and Hermione stopped and looked at him.

"What kind of dream?" asked Hermione curiously. Harry shrugged.

"It was about Voldemort." Ron shivered. "I saw an old man walking up these steps in an old home. There were voices coming from a room at the top saying something about someone named Bertha Jenkins or something like that."

"Bertha Jorkins?" asked Ron. Harry nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes! How did you know?"

Ron shrugged. "Heard my parents talking about it a few days ago. She used to work at the Ministry."

"Used to?" asked Hermione.

"She disappeared."

There was silence for a moment. Harry, who was already uneasy about the dream, felt an ugly pit settle in his gut. Hermione looked at him with concern.

"Was that it?" she asked softly.

Harry shook his head. "The old man walked to the top of the steps. Pettigrew was there, and I think so was Voldemort. A giant snake slithered up beside the old man into the room where Pettigrew and Voldemort were. Then I heard _Avada Kedavra_ and I woke up."

Ron and Hermione looked at their friend with deep concern.

"You should tell Dumbledore about this," Hermione said. Harry shrugged.

"I sent a letter to Sirius the day after. He isn't sure it really was anything, but I'm to let him know if I have another dream."

"I think that's a good idea," Hermione agreed. Harry smiled at his friends softly.

"Thanks for listening."

"We're always here for ya, mate," Ron said with a grin. Harry grinned back.

Hermione rolled her eyes and went back to washing the dishes. Harry and Ron joined her and they had everything finished in a few minutes.

"We should get to bed," Ron said. "Mum will probably give us a lot of chores tomorrow."

They agreed and headed up the stairs to their respective rooms passing Charlie and Bill who were still carrying on their discussion from dinner in the living room. Harry hugged Hermione goodnight and went into Ron's room. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep.

««‡»»

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Jackson."

Percy and Chiron stared up at the castle in complete awe. It was an absolutely breathtaking sight. The sun was just beginning to set in the sky as they approached the gates leading up to the school. It looked like a picture right out of a fantasy novel. It was, for lack of a better word, magical. Percy and Chiron shared a look.

"I've never seen anything like this before," Chiron muttered. Professor McGonagall must have overheard for she smiled slightly and beckoned them to follow her up to the castle.

"We are currently in the Forbidden Forest," said McGonagall as they walked along the footpath. "Hagrid, our gamekeeper lives just a little ways down there," she pointed. "I believe that is where Mr. Brunner will be staying?"

Chiron nodded.

"To the south of the school," McGonagall continued, "is the Great Lake."

Percy perked up at the thought of a lake. He had been afraid that he would be away from water completely besides the water in his ring. Suddenly staying at this school didn't seem quite as terrible.

"There are many more places on the grounds, but you'll have a chance to explore it all with Hagrid before the rest of the students arrive."

They reached the entrance to the school and walked inside. If the outside was amazing, the interior was in a league of its own. Percy was stunned by how fascinating it all was. Sets of medieval armor lined the entrance giving it an air of power and nobility. It reminded Percy of his history classes five years ago with Chiron.

"This is the Entrance Hall," explained McGonagall. "To the right is the Great Hall where we have our feasts and celebrations, and directly in front of us is the Grand Staircase."

"When I was at Diagon Alley," Percy said, "I ran into a kind lady who mentioned something about houses?"

McGonagall nodded. "Students here at Hogwarts are separated by houses. We are headed to the Headmaster's office right now in order to get you sorted."

"Does it really matter where you are sorted into?"

Percy thought he saw a small smile on the professor's face, but he wasn't sure.

"To some more than others," was all she said. She headed off down another corridor. "Follow me."

Percy pushed Chiron behind the professor. Percy struggled to keep his excitement in as he saw the many portraits on the walls begin to move. He was, after all, supposed to be well-versed in the magical world. A portrait of a water nymph bowed at him as he passed by making Percy roll his eyes. Apparently even the portraits could tell what he was. He really needed to be carefully. There was no telling who else would notice.

They continued walking until they reached a very pretty courtyard. Chiron whistled softly.

"This is very nice," he said. Professor McGonagall nodded.

"This is the Transfiguration Courtyard. Professor Dumbledore's office is just this way."

Percy and Chiron followed her to the opposite end of the courtyard where a statue of a gargoyle stood guard. McGonagall walked up to the statue and confidently said, "Pixy Stix."

Percy snickered. "Pixy Stix?"

McGonagall blushed slightly. "The Headmaster has a rather...eccentric choice of passwords."

"Is everything guarded with a password?" asked Chiron. McGonagall nodded her head and led them up the staircase as the gargoyle moved aside to let them pass. Percy began struggling to hoist Chiron up the stairs in his wheelchair when McGonagall waved her wand. All of a sudden, the chair and Chiron became incredibly light. Percy smiled at her with gratitude. Already magic was becoming very useful.

At the top of the steps was Dumbledore's office. Percy looked around and nodded in appreciation. The office was nothing like Dumbledore. Where Dumbledore was odd and cliché, the office was professional. Portraits of various men and women lined the walls, and enormous book shelves covered the walls around the portraits. Everything was a regal red. It almost looked like a combination of the Ares and Athena cabins back at camp. The thought of camp made Percy's breath hitch, so he did his best to think about the office.

In the center of the office was Dumbledore's desk, where the headmaster sat watching Percy and Chiron with a bright smile and a twinkle in his eye. Percy nodded to the headmaster and eyed the other occupants in the room uneasily. Standing on either side of the desk were three people. Each one could not be more different. On the right of the desk stood a portly woman wearing a bright yellow and brown robe and a witch's hat. Beside her was a very small man that did not appear all that human to Percy. On the left of the desk stood a man dressed in all black with greasy hair and a pointy nose. He reminded Percy of Hades. The man looked like he tried to be intimidating, but he eyed Percy with a strange look on his face; almost as if he recognized him.

"Percy, my boy!" said Dumbledore standing up. "I am so glad you and Mr. Brunner could join us!"

"Err, thank you," said Percy. He felt awkward around these people he didn't know.

"I'm sure Professor McGonagall mentioned that you would be sorted today?"

Percy nodded. "She did, but I'm still not quite sure about what that means."

"Of course, of course. Here at Hogwarts we have four houses: Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor. When students first arrive here, they are sorted into one of these houses. Whichever house you are sorted into is where you will find your living quarters. You'll attend classes with your fellow housemates." Dumbledore smiled. "Not to mention the friendly inter-house competitions and quidditch matches."

"Is there a difference between the houses?" asked Percy. The greasy haired man gave a small snort. The other two people glared at the man.

Dumbledore nodded. "You are sorted into a house based on which trait fits you best. Slytherin values ambition and cunning, Hufflepuff values hard work and dedication, Ravenclaw values intelligence and wit, and Gryffindor values bravery and chivalry. These fine professors are the respective heads of these houses."

Percy looked at the other professors.

"I'm Professor Sprout," said the portly woman with a kind smile. "I'm the Head of Hufflepuff."

"I'm Professor Flitwick," said the short man. "Head of Ravenclaw."

Percy smiled and shook their hands.

"Professor McGonagall, who you have already met," Dumbledore said, "is the Head of Gryffindor, and this here is Professor Snape. He is the Head of Slytherin."

Percy smiled at Professor McGonagall and nodded at Professor Snape.

"So do they choose where I go or what?" asked Percy after all the introductions were made. The professors, save Snape, chuckled. Percy and Chiron shrugged at each other.

"No, no," Dumbledore said with a laugh. "You are chosen by this ingenious hat."

Dumbledore placed a raggedy old hat onto his desk. Percy raised an eyebrow.

"A hat?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Put it on."

Percy looked at the hat then back at Dumbledore. "You're serious?"

Dumbledore nodded again, smiling brightly.

Percy groaned and walked over to the desk. He picked up the hat, and at Dumbledore's urging, placed it on his head.

 _Already? I didn't realize it was September!_

Percy froze at the intruding voice in his head. He thought, _who's there?_

 _Who's there?_ repeated the voice sarcastically. _I'm the Sorting Hat. Now, let's see what we have to work with...Dear Merlin!_

 _What is it?_

 _Why, you're a demigod aren't you?_

Percy felt uneasy.

 _Don't worry, the others cannot hear me. Yes, yes, I see it all. Your quests. Your prophecy. Your mission here. Hecate made a wise choice in picking you._

 _You see everything?_

 _I do. Do not worry. I will keep your past a secret. This is a great honor, Perseus Jackson._

Percy bristled at the use of his full name.

 _Percy. I apologize. Now where should I place you? You would work well in Hufflepuff. Quite well. Not so much in Ravenclaw. Six expulsions?_

Percy blushed.

 _Not Slytherin. Not at this time. You would work well in Gryffindor as well. This is a difficult choice, Mr. Jackson. A very difficult choice. Seeing as how you are here on a mission from Hecate, I really have no choice in where to place you._

 _You've decided._

 _I have. I expect to hear from you again, Mr. Jackson. It has been many, many years since I have spoken to someone from your world._

 _I guess I'll come back then,_ thought Percy uncertainty. He felt the hat chuckle.

 _I won't make you promise on the Styx. I guess I should present my decision. Remember this before we part ways, Mr. Jackson: times are changing and you might find that in helping this world, your life will never be the same._

 _Story of my life_ , grumbled Percy. Once again the hat chuckled.

 _So I see. Now for my decision. It is my honor to sort you, Mr. Jackson, into_ GRYFFINDOR!"

 **A/N: There you have it! Percy has been sorted into Gryffindor and soon everyone will be returning. Also, please note the tag and character change for this story. I decided that I've never really written romance before, so I'm going to give it a shot. If that's not your cup of tea, then I'm sorry.**

 **If you haven't already, hit that favorite/follow button and let me know what you think of the chapter in the reviews!**

 **A huge shout out to** **SofiaSapphire** **for being the 100th follower! Thank you to everyone that has already favorited and followed. Y'all are awesome. Till next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

Professors Flitwick and Sprout congratulated Percy on his sortment into Gryffindor and politely excused themselves from Dumbledore's office. Snape eyed Percy with a strange look that Percy couldn't tell if it was anger or constipation. Professor McGonagall smiled at Percy brightly, her first true smile, as did Dumbledore. Chiron simply shrugged.

Dumbledore stood up and took the Sorting Hat from Percy and placed it back on its shelf. He turned back to the room and waved his wand. A gargoyle sprung out from the wall and blocked the doorway, and the windows were covered up. Percy felt uneasy and reached into his pocket for Riptide, his sword pen. Chiron himself seemed like he was about to rise out of his chair, though Percy wasn't too sure how Chiron's true form as a centaur would fit in the office.

"Relax, Percy," said Dumbledore sitting down. He conjured up a chair to match the other two in front of his desk. "Everyone take a seat. We have much to discuss."

Snape and McGonagall cocked their heads but did as they were told. Percy was the last to sit, and he did so warily. He did not like to be trapped in a room, especially not after the events in the Labyrinth two years ago. Chiron rolled himself forward but placed himself in such a way that he would have room to fight should the need arise.

"I am not going to harm either of you," Dumbledore said firmly. Percy didn't take his hand off of his pen. "I was told by a mutual friend of ours, Percy, to reveal our plans with Professors Snape and McGonagall."

Percy frowned. "Swear on the Styx."

"I swear on the Styx that I have permission to reveal our plans with Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall," Dumbledore said confidently. Thunder rolled overhead and only then did Percy and Chiron relax.

"What is going on, Albus?" asked McGonagall confused. "What plans? What mutual friend?"

Dumbledore motioned towards Percy. "Perseus Jackson, here, is not a wizard in the same way we are."

"What does that mean?" McGonagall asked confused.

"Are you familiar with the Greek goddess Hecate?" Dumbledore asked.

"I am familiar with the myths, yes."

"They aren't just myths," Dumbledore said with a smile. "Hecate is real. As are the rest of the Greek myths."

McGonagall eyed Dumbledore, turned towards Percy, then back to the headmaster. "You must be joking."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Not at all. Merlin, Morgan le Fay, why even the founders were all Hecate's children-demigods. Everyone that uses magic now are her legacies-her descendants."

"If that is true," McGonagall began, "then how do you explain muggleborn students?"

"If I am not mistaken, muggleborn students are, in fact, children of squibs. They're parents and grandparents are all legacies of Hecate. The ability to use magic is simply not found in every one of us. Hence the existence of squibs even in pureblood families," Dumbledore explained. "Hecate does continue to have the occasional child, though the last one of them to have children died many, many years ago. The descendants of that demigod eventually married into the Gaunt family in the nineteenth century."

"The Dark Lord's mother?" asked Snape. It was the first he had spoken since Percy had arrived. McGonagall sucked in a breath while Percy and Chiron eyed each other confused.

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "Tom gets his power from both Slytherin and this unnamed demigod."

"'Gets?'" McGonagall asked incredulously. "I understand that his memory was what made Miss Weasley open the chamber two years ago, but you're implying that Tom is still alive."

"I strongly believe that he is," Dumbledore said. "Severus, here, has evidence to corroborate that."

"Who is Tom?" asked Chiron confused.

Dumbledore sighed. "Tom Riddle was once a very intelligent wizard here at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, he was fascinated by the Dark Arts...too much so. He eventually turned into the vilest dark wizard of the modern age."

"Voldemort," said Percy quietly. McGonagall gasped at the name, Snape glared at him, and Dumbledore simply nodded.

"You are correct, Mr. Jackson," Dumbledore said ignoring the other professors' reactions. "I assume Hecate has given you more than just knowledge of magic?"

Percy nodded.

McGonagall looked at Percy and Chiron then turned back to Dumbledore. "I suppose Mr. Jackson and Mr. Brunner are demigods?"

Percy and Chiron began chuckling and even Dumbledore laughed. McGonagall glared at them. "What is so funny?"

"I am not a demigod," Chiron said. "I'm not exactly human either."

"What are you?" McGonagall frowned.

"We can talk about this at another time," said Dumbledore. "As for Percy, he _is_ a demigod."

When she looked at him, Percy gave her a cheeky grin.

"Is that what makes you a 'different wizard?'" she asked. Percy shook his head.

"I was blessed by Hecate," he said. "I haven't even tried using magic yet."

"If Hecate is not your parent, then who is?"

"Poseidon."

McGonagall's eyes widened and she let out a large sigh. "This just cannot be real. _Demigods_? _Hecate_?"

"It's all true," murmured Snape. Everyone turned to him in shock.

Snape glanced at Percy. "It's a Snape family secret that the Greek gods are real. No one in my family has seen one in years though."

"You never mentioned this, Severus," said Dumbledore in shock.

Snape shrugged. Percy wasn't entirely sure the man was trustworthy, but Dumbledore seemed to accept him.

"My mother's cousins were demigods," Snape said hesitantly.

"Wouldn't that make you a legacy?" McGonagall asked. She was still unfamiliar with the new terms.

"No," Snape said. "My mother was adopted. She just happened to be a witch."

Chiron frowned. "Who were your mother's cousins?"

"Bianca and Nico di Angelo." He turned towards Percy and gave him a hard look. "You knew them."

Percy paled and scrambled out of his chair. Chiron too began rising from his wheelchair.

"You knew them didn't you, boy?" asked Snape harshly.

Percy whispered, "I knew them."

Dumbledore stood up and frowned deeply at Snape. "Severus, that is unnecessary."

Snape stood up and glared at Percy. "That's why I recognized you when you walked in. You're the Percy Jackson Nico told me about. He's dead because of you!"

Percy paled and moved backwards to the door.

"Severus!" growled Dumbledore. Snape and McGonagall turned to the headmaster in shock having never heard that tone from him before. Chiron snarled but rolled over to Percy.

"Ignore him, Percy," Chiron said firmly. "Nico's death is not on you."

Percy stared at the ground before looking back up at the room. "I-I need to..." he rushed out of the office.

They watched the young demigod run off. Chiron turned around and rose out of his chair. Snape and McGonagall stared in awe and terror as Chiron transformed before their very eyes into a furious centaur. The wheelchair clanged against the wall of the office and Chiron marched over to Snape and bent down so that he could stare directly into the man's eyes.

"If it weren't for Percy Jackson," Chiron sneered, "none of us would be here. That man single-handedly defeated Kronos and saved Olympus-Bianca and Nico both died defending Olympus and the rest of the world. Do not blame Percy for their deaths. Or does their sacrifice mean nothing to you?"

Snape reared back in fear and bowed his head, not knowing what to say. Even Dumbledore, who knew a little bit about Percy's past, could only stare in shock at the centaur.

"Kronos," whispered McGonagall. "Do you mean the Titan?"

Chiron nodded, still staring at Snape.

"I-I apologize," Snape muttered. "Nico was my last living relative after my parents died. He came to visit me several times after he learned we were distantly related." He looked up at Chiron. "I should not have blamed Percy for Nico's death."

"No you shouldn't have," Chiron agreed. "But he is the one you should apologize to."

Snape nodded and stood up. "Excuse me, Albus. I need to find Percy."

Dumbledore nodded the twinkle in his eye returning. With Snape gone, Chiron returned to his wheelchair. He straightened the blanket he kept over his lap and rolled back over to Dumbledore's desk. McGonagall eyed him warily. He sighed and shook his head.

"You don't need to be afraid of me," he said. "You have to understand that the battle for Olympus was only a few days ago. The emotional pain is still there. Percy and I-we both lost many friends and family. Percy and Nico were especially close."

McGonagall glanced at the door sadly. "He masks it so well. You both do."

Chiron shrugged. "It would be much worse had Hecate and Hestia not asked Percy to come to England. Coming here-coming to help is really helping Percy."

"What about you?"

"My purpose in life is to train demigods. The gods told me to come with Percy to continue mentoring him. I guess that is what is helping me cope with it all. I have lost many people in the many, many years I have been on this planet, but never have I lost so many at once."

McGonagall and Dumbledore gave the old centaur sad glances.

"You said Percy single-handedly defeated Kronos?" asked Dumbledore softly trying to change the subject. Chiron smiled a small smile and nodded.

"That he did. For the last few years, Kronos has been attempting to return to the world." Chiron glanced at Dumbledore. "Hecate didn't tell you any of this?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "She only told me that Percy was a very powerful son of Poseidon, and that he has experience dealing with a daunting prophecy. I trusted her judgement."

"She picked a hell of a demigod," Chiron agreed. "A few weeks ago, Kronos finally returned by possessing another demigod by the name of Luke. Kronos lead a major attack on Olympus just over a week ago, and Percy helped led the defensive."

"What happened?" asked McGonagall. If she hadn't believed Dumbledore or Percy before, seeing Chiron turn into a centaur and defend Percy definitely made her believe the stories now.

Chiron sighed and looked at the wall. "Kronos promised Percy that he would halt his forces if Percy agreed to fight him one-on-one. Percy agreed and they fought. I wasn't there, so I am not entirely sure of all the details, but Luke regained control of his body and asked Percy to give him a knife so that he could kill himself and Kronos along with him."

"Kill him?" gasped McGonagall.

Chiron nodded firmly. "Life for a demigod centers around one thing: war. Demigods are forced to prepare for war at a young age. Most experience their first fight by the time they are nine."

"That's horrible!"

"I agree," Chiron said. "The average lifespan for a demigod is only seventeen years."

McGonagall and Dumbledore paled. Hecate had neglected in telling the headmaster that morbid detail.

"Percy was the child of prophecy," Chiron continued. "The end of the prophecy said that he would have a choice to make, and that his choice would either save or destroy Olympus."

"What did he do?" asked Dumbledore.

Chiron smiled. "He gave Luke his sword. Luke had control of himself long enough to stab himself in his vulnerable spot."

"Vulnerable spot?" McGonagall asked confused. Chiron snapped his fingers and nodded.

"I apologize. I forgot to mention that both Luke and Percy bathed in the river Styx."

Dumbledore's eyes widened. "You mean to tell me that Percy has invulnerable skin?"

Chiron nodded. "Except in one spot. It's called the curse of Achilles."

"Achilles," McGonagall murmured. "He was killed by an arrow to the heel was he not?"

"He was," confirmed Chiron, "but that was his vulnerable spot. That spot is different for each person that survives the river."

"Survives?"

"Not everyone survives. You must have a strong connection to the mortal world in order to survive. Thankfully, Percy survived. That was the only thing that kept him alive against Kronos."

"So Luke killed himself and Kronos?" asked Dumbledore, steering the conversation back to the event that had defined Percy's life.

"He did," Chiron said softly. "Unfortunately, Kronos did not keep his promise. While he and Percy had been fighting, his army continued to push against our Greek forces. We lost nearly everyone including Nico. Percy blames himself for their deaths. Nico died in his arms."

The room fell quiet. McGonagall and Dumbledore shared a somber look. They had never expected the young man that had been in the office with them to be carrying such a tremendous burden.

"He was offered godhood you know," said Chiron with a smile a few moments later. "Zeus himself offered to make Percy a god, but Percy turned him down."

"Merlin!" gasped McGonagall. Dumbledore nodded, equally astounded.

Chiron said, "He instead asked the gods to change how things worked on Olympus. I won't give you all the boring details, but Percy showed unbelievable maturity and wisdom. I don't know any other demigod that would have turned down such a gift."

Dumbledore shook his head. "To be honest, I was hesitant when Hecate told me that she had someone that could help us." He looked up at Chiron. "But I know now that for once, we have hope. If anyone can help us, Percy can."

"Severus better give that young man a solid apology," McGonagall said firmly. Chiron nodded. She held a hand out to the centaur and gave him a small smile. "Thank you for speaking to us. I never knew about any of this. I thank you for opening my eyes to this entirely other world."

Chiron chuckled. "Seeing the wizarding world has been a complete shock to me as well. I may have been born thousands of years ago, but I've never seen anything in this world that compares to this. Olympus is breathtaking, I will never change my opinion about that, but Olympus was built by the gods. This place-Hogwarts-is incredible work for mortals."

Dumbledore grinned. "I appreciate the compliment. Though I am surprised that you never came across the magical world. We have centaurs in the Forbidden Forest. Are you not related to them?"

Chiron shrugged. "There are centaurs all over the world. The only ones I am still in contact with are the Party Ponies in the United States." He glared at them as they snorted at that. "As for the magical world, there have never been many children of Hecate, and the few that have been around came to me only for training. I have only remained in one place each time Olympus has moved. I train demigods and that's it."

"What do you mean each time Olympus has moved?" asked McGonagall. "Isn't Olympus on a mountain?"

Chiron shook his head. "It used to be back when Greece was the center of the western world, but as western culture has moved even further west, so has Olympus."

"Where is it currently?"

"At the top of the Empire State Building. Where else?"

McGonagall opened her mouth to speak when Snape and Percy walked back into Dumbledore's office. Chiron turned around and rolled over to Percy.

"Are you alright, son?"

Percy nodded and gave Snape a small nod. "He apologized. We talked about Nico."

Chiron patted Percy's shoulder and gave Snape a nod in thanks. Snape seemed uncomfortable but nodded back. McGonagall and Dumbledore both stood up and walked over to Percy.

"We are very thankful to have you here," Dumbledore said enthusiastically. Percy blinked.

"Err, thanks?"

Chiron rolled his eyes. Dumbledore chuckled and motioned for them to take their seats around his desk again. "We should discuss, now, our plans."

"What exactly am I supposed to be doing?" asked Percy. "Hecate told me that there is a kid here that is the center of a prophecy. Is that true?"

"It is," Dumbledore said. "He is going to be a fourth year this year. He doesn't know about the prophecy yet, but I fear that the time is coming that he will need to be aware of it."

"He should be aware of it now," Percy said firmly. "Trust me. He will only be angry if he learns it too late."

Dumbledore sighed. "You may be right. I only want him to have a normal childhood."

Percy shook his head and gave a small chuckle. "If there is a prophecy about you, chances of having a 'normal' childhood are slim to none."

"He needs to be prepared for when the prophecy comes true," Dumbledore said. "I want you to train him, Percy."

"I've never even used magic before," Percy argued. "How am I supposed to train him?"

"That is something you will need to figure out for yourself," said Dumbledore. Percy glared at him, but the headmaster ignored it. "As for your magic, I understand that Hecate has given you a rather vast knowledge of the subject?"

"She gave me enough so that I can actually fit in with the sixth years," Percy nodded. "But I still haven't tried any magic out."

"You have a wand?"

Percy nodded.

"Good. Starting tonight after dinner till the beginning of the school year, Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape will test you on your magic and potion knowledge," Dumbledore said firmly.

Percy groaned. "I don't do well with tests. ADHD and dyslexia remember?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "You won't have to do any writing or studying. I simply want you to practice using magic until you can do so convincingly, and you will need to know how to brew potions if you wish to take part in classes this year."

"If I suck," Percy said eyeing the headmaster, "then just know that I warned you."

Dumbledore laughed merrily. "Consider me warned. As for your classes during the year, I will discreetly let your professors know that school is not easy for you."

Percy gave a small smile. "Thanks." His stomach growled breaking the last bit of tension in the room. Even Snape gave a ghost of a grin.

"Professor McGonagall will show you now to your new quarters in Gryffindor Tower," Dumbledore said standing up. Everyone, save for Chiron, followed suit. "After you find yourself situated, you will be taken to the Great Hall for dinner."

"What about me?" asked Chiron.

"Severus will show you to Hagrid's hut. Hagrid is expecting you."

Snape eyed Chiron warily but walked to the door. "I'll take you there now."

Chiron hesitated momentarily before following. Percy waited till Chiron and Snape were gone before turning towards Dumbledore.

"When will I meet this kid?" he asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"After the Welcoming Feast on the first day of school, I'll have him meet us here. Now if you excuse me, I have a meeting with our new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor."

Percy bided the headmaster farewell and followed Professor McGonagall out of the office to Gryffindor Tower passing a terrifying looking man with a cane and an eerie eye walking up the steps. _Well he's fucking creepy_ , thought Percy. _Must be the new professor._

««‡»»

"Again!"

" _Evanesco!"_ Percy said firmly. The spell shot out of his wand towards a puddle of water in the middle of the Transfiguration classroom. The water vanished making Percy grinned. Professor McGonagall applauded him from behind her desk.

"Well done, Mr. Jackson," she said. "You've successfully proven that you can do all of the spells taught here at Hogwarts from first year to fifth."

Percy nodded and took a seat. It had been a grueling few days. Every day since he had arrived at Hogwarts, Dumbledore had him training with McGonagall and Snape. In just four days, Percy had managed to perform all of the spells taught at Hogwarts at least twice, and he had managed to do a mediocre job with potions. Percy was absolutely exhausted which, of course, was made worse by his curse. The curse of Achilles gave Percy enhanced abilities and more power, but it also made him expend much more energy. When Percy wasn't training with one of the professors, he was eating or sleeping. He still had not had a chance to visit Chiron aside from at meals or to even go down to the lake.

"Mr. Jackson?"

Percy shook his head to clear his musings and looked over at McGonagall. "I'm sorry. I'm just tired."

McGonagall nodded. "The curse?"

Percy and McGonagall had connected very well. The Transfiguration professor, after having learned Percy's true story, had taken it upon herself to make the demigod feel as connected to the wizarding world as possible. Percy thanked her by giving her little details about his past and about the world of Greek gods. McGonagall had to admit that she much preferred being a legacy of Hecate and not a demigod. Percy didn't blame her.

"Yeah," Percy said with a yawn. "I think I'm going to get something to eat then head to bed."

McGonagall nodded. "That sounds like a good plan. Tomorrow night is when the students return."

"How exactly is that going to work? Am I supposed to go out there and pretend that I'm coming in with them, or do I just wait here?"

"Do you not need to head to the kitchens first?" McGonagall asked. Percy nodded having momentarily forgotten that. His first night at Hogwarts had been a tad awkward. As a demigod, Percy was to sacrifice a part of each meal to his father, Poseidon. The Great Hall did not have a furnace for which Percy could scrape some of his food into, so Dumbledore had shown him how to get into the kitchens. The house elves, which had scared the shit out of Percy at first when they popped in, were more than happy to oblige Percy's sacrificing.

"You can head to the kitchens, and then come back up to the Great Hall as the students are sitting down," McGonagall continued. "The house elves will put your plate in your spot once you arrive upstairs."

"Thank you, professor," said Percy. "I appreciate it."

She smiled warmly at him and nodded. "You are most welcome. Now go. I have lesson plans to finalize."

Percy stood up and left the classroom to get some food. The kitchens were directly below the Great Hall. Like practically everything else in the castle, the kitchens were hidden behind an enormous portrait of fruit. Percy reached out and tickled the pear. The pear giggled and turned into a door knob. Percy stepped inside and smiled at the house elves who smiled back. Without needing to say anything, the elves brought Percy a plate of food and ignited the furnace. Percy stepped over to the furnace and scraped a bit of his mashed potatoes and steak into the fire.

"For you, dad," he whispered. Having sacrificed some of his food, Percy handed his plate back to a house elf who smiled warmly at him. Percy left the kitchen and returned upstairs to the Great Hall. A few of the professors were sitting up at the head table already eating. Percy looked around but didn't see Hagrid or Chiron. The professors waved at Percy but did not say anything to him. He didn't mind. While they were relatively friendly, the only professors he had made any connection with were Snape, McGonagall and Hagrid, though he only saw Hagrid when he and Chiron came to the castle to eat.

Percy ate his food quickly, waved goodbye to the professors, and left the hall. He headed to the Grand Staircase and made his way up to the seventh floor of the castle. The trip up should have been rather quick, but the moving staircases took forever. Eventually, Percy reached the portrait of the Fat Lady which guarded the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady grinned down at Percy as he approached.

"Mr. Jackson, look at this!" she said flashing her teeth. Percy gave a forced smile as the portrait began singing as high pitched as she could, trying to break the wine glass in her hand. When the glass didn't break, the lady broke it against the wall behind her. Percy applauded her. It was the fifth time she had done that since he'd been there.

"Awesome!" he said, hoping that his tone didn't convey his sarcasm. The Fat Lady didn't seem to notice. She smiled brightly at Percy and gave him a bow.

"Why thank you!" She put down the glass. "Password?"

"Balderdash," he said. The portrait swung open letting Percy inside. Gryffindor Tower was a rather fascinating place. The main, common room was a circular room with several chairs and tables, a notice board, and a fireplace. Several windows overlooked the grounds outside. Looking out, Percy could just barely see the lake and Hagrid's hut. The Common Room was decorated in reds and golds-the house colors. Two doors on the other side of the room led to the dorms. Percy, utterly exhausted, trudged up the steps to where the sixth year boys stayed. There were only four beds total in the room, but Percy was rather eager to meet the other three. He remembered the kind woman from Diagon Alley telling him that her sons were in sixth year in Gryffindor.

Percy went over to his bed which was located by the only window that overlooked the lake. He hoped that the others wouldn't mind. The dorm was very different from Poseidon's cabin back at Camp. Percy had placed a small assortment of seashells on his dresser in hopes that eventually it would feel more like home. He opened his dresser and pulled out a clean pair of boxers. He put Riptide and his watch on the dresser next to the seashells and went to the showers adjacent to the dorm. The shower was invigorating and restored some of Percy's energy. One of the best perks of being the son of the sea god.

Cleaned and refreshed, Percy returned to bed. He put his dirty clothes in a bin beside his bed. They would be taken care of by the house elves though Percy had insisted he could do it himself. Percy crawled into bed and closed the curtains. It didn't take long for him to enter the realm of Morpheus.

««‡»»

Harry squinted as sunlight streamed into Ron's room through the cracks in the curtains. He groaned and rolled over onto his other side. He tried desperately to fall back asleep, but his mind decided to start working again. He sat up slowly and put on his glasses. Ron continued to snore loudly from his bed on the other side of the room. Ron's trunk was still open with nothing in it. Harry shook his head in amusement. This happened every year. He got out of bed and grabbed his clothes to take a shower.

A few minutes later, Harry returned to Ron's room. Noises from upstairs and downstairs let him know that everyone else in the house was awake save Ron. Harry walked over to his friend and, with some effort, pushed Ron off the bed. Ron yelped as he hit the floor. He pulled himself up and glared at Harry who was clutching his stomach from laughing so hard. Ron threw his pillow at Harry hitting him in the face. "Git."

Harry chuckled and put the pillow back on the bed. "Come on, mate. We have to leave soon, and you still haven't packed."

"Bloody hell!" cursed Ron. He scrambled about his room trying to pick up and pack everything he needed. Harry rolled his eyes and went over to his own trunk. He gingerly picked up the framed picture of his parents. They smiled up at him warmly, and he smiled back at them. He put the picture into his trunk along with his pajamas and closed it. Hedwig hooted at him from her perch beside his bed. Harry smiled and gave the beautiful owl a treat from the treat bag that hung from her perch.

"Ready for another year at Hogwarts, girl?" he asked running his fingers over her feathers. Hedwig hooted and nipped his finger affectionately. Harry smiled and lifted up her cage. With Hedwig in one hand and his trunk in the other, Harry left Ron to his packing and headed downstairs. As he struggled to get his things down the stairs, he heard voices coming from the living room.

"...what's being done about this?" asked Mr. Weasley towards the fireplace. Harry cocked his head confused until he saw the face of Amos Diggory in the green flames. The Weasleys had described this as communicating via the Floo Network. Harry still didn't understand it but chalked it up to the wonders of magic.

"I'm not sure. You know how Moody is," Diggory said. "He's even more paranoid now."

"Merlin," muttered Mr. Weasley.

"I'm worried about what this means for him as a professor."

Harry's eyes widened. After Remus Lupin had left following his outing as a werewolf last year, Harry had wondered who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor would be. He wondered who this Moody bloke was.

Mr. Weasley shook his head. "I don't know either. Especially with everything that is going on at Hogwarts this year."

"What's going on at Hogwarts this year?" asked Hermione and Ginny from behind Harry. Harry jumped, startled, and moved out of the way to let them into the living room. The girls rolled their eyes at him but smiled.

"I need to go, Amos," Mr. Weasley said quickly. "I'll be there in a few minutes."

He turned back to the kids and gave them a smile. "Sorry about all that."

"What's going on at Hogwarts this year?" asked Ginny again. Hermione and Harry nodded, wanting to know the same thing. Mr. Weasley gave an uncertain chuckle and scratched his head.

"It's a bit of a secret. You'll find out tonight."

The kids groaned. That was the same response they'd been getting since they'd overheard Bill, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley discussing something secret going on at Hogwarts this upcoming year. The kids were sure it had something to do with the dance and their need for dress robes, but the adults had kept their mouths shut on the subject. Mr. Weasley grinned at their reactions.

"Come on, now," he said. "Molly has a lovely breakfast made. Where are the boys?"

"Ron's still getting packed," said Harry. Ginny and Hermione let out exasperated groans.

"And the twins?" asked Mr. Weasley with a chuckle directed at the girls.

"We're here!" the twins said hustling down the steps. Their trunks banged on the steps behind them as they ran down.

"Miss us?"

"Of course you all did!"

Harry grinned at them, before they all followed Mr. Weasley into the kitchen. They sat down and began eating the enormous breakfast Mrs. Weasley had prepared. Ron stumbled down the steps midway through and said nothing as he sat down to eat. Breakfast did not take long-especially with Ron shoveling food into his mouth-and soon they were all heading out the door to get a taxi to take them to King's Cross Station.

The ride was quick and amusing as Fred and George attempted to work on their sales pitches. Mrs. Weasley and the girls were in another taxi, so the twins did not have to fear anyone interrupting them. If the driver was confused by what they were saying, he didn't say anything. Eventually they reached King's Cross Station. Hermione helped Mrs. Weasley give the drivers the correct amount of muggle money, and they all headed towards Platform 9 3/4.

The Hogwarts Express was a beautiful sight to Harry. As much as he loved being at the Burrow with the Weasleys, Hogwarts was where he truly felt at home, and seeing the Express made his return home a reality.

"I do not want to have to send any Howlers this year, boys," Mrs. Weasley said to the twins firmly. The nodded their heads comically before kissing her on each cheek and rushing onto the train. She shook her head at their retreating forms and turned to the others. "You all be good, you hear me?"

They all smiled and nodded. She gave them each a hug and shooed them onto the train. Ginny glanced around the train before turning to Hermione. "Mind if I sit with you all? At least for a little while?"

Hermione kicked Ron's shin to prevent him from saying anything and smiled at Ginny. "Of course! I'd love to have another girl around."

Ginny grinned and the four of them headed to the back of the train to find an empty compartment. Finding one at the very back, Harry and Ron put all of their trunks away. They grumbled as they struggled to lift the girls' trunks.

"Bloody hell, Hermione," cursed Ron. "What did you pack?"

Hermione glared at him. "None of your business."

"Books?" asked Ginny with a grin. Hermione blushed which made the others laugh heartily. Hermione shoved Ginny good-naturedly and shot Ron and Harry a friendly glare before she too began giggling. Just as they were beginning to catch their breaths, the compartment doors opened revealing three boys their age. The boy in the middle had bleach blonde hair and a pompous look on his face.

"What's this? The mudblood and the blood traitors still sharing a compartment?" the boy sneered. The two goons behind him roared in laughter making their leader puff out his chest.

"Piss off, Malfoy," growled Ron. Harry glared at him with malice. Malfoy smirked.

"What's the matter, Weasleby?" Malfoy said. "Did your father have to beg to get you dress robes?"

Ron and Ginny's faces both burned crimson. Hermione placed a firm hand on Ginny's shoulder, and Harry stood up to face the three boys. "I suggest you leave now."

Malfoy and his goons laughed. "Hear that? Pothead's got a mouth on him." He turned back to Harry and scowled. "You're not going to be so famous after this year. Not if I have a say in it."

"What do you mean?" Harry said angrily. Malfoy's eyes widened for a split second before he grinned the way a cat grins when cornering prey.

"You mean you don't know?" Malfoy scoffed. "I've known since the beginning of summer. My father told me all about it. He's close to the Minister, you know. That must be why none of you know. They wouldn't trust such a...lowly wizard like Weasel with that sort of information."

Ron and Ginny both stood up and pointed their wands at him. Harry put a hand up to try and stop them and looked back at Malfoy. "You better leave."

Malfoy glared at them all before stepping away from the compartment. "Let's go boys. No use wasting our time with a group of blood traitors and a filthy mudblood."

Tears came to Hermione's eyes as she quickly looked away. Ginny growled and threw a nasty Bat-Bogey hex at Malfoy as he scampered away. She put her wand away and sat back down beside Hermione.

"Ignore him," Ginny said softly. "He's just an enormous git." Ron and Harry grunted their agreement as they sat down themselves.

"You're better at magic than he'll ever be," said Harry with a grin. Hermione wiped her tears on her sleeve and gave them a small smile.

"Thanks."

Ron, trying to break the awkwardness left in the wake of Malfoy's arrival, pulled out a deck of Exploding Snap, and the friends began playing for about an hour before both Ron and Harry passed out. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes.

"Honestly," Hermione murmured. "How can they sleep so much?"

Ginny shrugged. "My older brothers used to always just fall asleep everywhere."

Hermione nodded and glanced at the two boys. Ginny eyed her curiously and followed her gaze.

"You like him don't you?"

Hermione looked at her sharply. "Who?"

"Ron."

Hermione blushed. "I-I don't really know, to be honest. I think I might, but he can be such a prat."

Ginny laughed softly so as not to wake the boys. "You're right about that. I wouldn't worry about it though. All boys are prats, and Ron can be worse than most at times."

"I suppose," Hermione whispered. Ginny patted her friend's leg.

"Don't worry. He'll come around at some point."

Hermione shrugged before grinning at Ginny. "And what about you? Still have that crush on Harry?"

It was Ginny's turn to blush. She shook her head adamantly and glanced over at Harry's sleeping form.

"Not anymore. He's sweet and all, but I think I'm finally over him now. I'd just like to be friends."

"That's smart," Hermione agreed before smirking again. "What about that boy we saw in Diagon Alley?"

Ginny's blush burned brighter, almost matching her hair. "Shut up."

Hermione giggled and patted Ginny's shoulder. "I'm just taking the mickey out of you. But you heard your mum; he's coming to Hogwarts this year. And he's sixteen."

Ginny rolled her eyes, her blush finally receding. "I don't think I'm going to be looking for anybody this year. Let's just see how things go."

The two friends continued to whisper about Hogwarts gossip for the rest of the train ride until it was time to wake the boys up to change into their robes. Harry and Ron stumbled out of the compartment to change and let the girls change inside. Not much longer after that, the Hogwarts Express arrived at Hogsmeade Station. Harry looked up and saw the highest towers of Hogwarts peeking out from behind the Forbidden Forest. He grinned, feeling the best that he'd felt all summer. He was finally back home.

««‡»»

Percy ducked as the blade of Chiron's spear passed overhead. He spun around to his left and slashed Riptide in an upward arc. The centaur dodged the strike with surprising ease and brought the shaft of the spear back towards Percy's back. Realizing he had fallen for the bait, Percy let himself drop to the ground letting the shaft narrowly miss him. He rolled away from Chiron before the centaur could bring the spear back down on him.

"Sloppy," Chiron barked. "Watch your footwork."

Percy pulled himself back up to his feet and held Riptide out in front of him. He dropped down into a ready stance and prepared for Chiron's next attack. It never came. Instead Chiron collapsed the spear back into a flask.

"We'll continue working on this later," Chiron said. Percy nodded and put the cap back on Riptide turning it back into a pen which he placed in his pocket. "Your footwork needs more work."

Percy pursed his lips as he walked over to the lake. He bent down and splashed his face with the water. It was September 1st, and the students wouldn't be arriving till just before dinner. With all morning free, Percy had expected to be training with McGonagall or Snape again; however, both were busy preparing last minute for the school year leaving Percy free to visit Chiron and Hagrid. They had chatted for a little bit before Chiron led Percy into the forest to the far shore of the Great Lake. The trees provided cover from the windows of Hogwarts castle but left plenty of room for training.

"I know," Percy said standing back up. "I normally work on it every day, but with all the work I've been doing the last few days...I haven't really had a chance to."

Chiron nodded and trotted over to where his wheelchair was parked. He dropped himself into the seat and rolled over to Percy. "I understand, but you cannot allow yourself to lose touch with your training. I suggest you find time every day to work on your footwork especially."

"I'll do my best," Percy agreed. Chiron smiled and turned around to head back to Hagrid's hut.

"See that you do," said Chiron. "Let's head back. It's already getting late. The students should be arriving within the hour."

Percy's eyes widened and he looked up to the sky. The clouds covered the sun preventing Percy from being able to tell its placement. "So soon? We missed lunch!"

Chiron chuckled. "I'm sure there will be plenty of food at dinner. It is the Welcoming Feast after all."

"I suppose," Percy grumbled. "I should probably head up to my dorm to change clothes. I don't think it would be wise for me to come to dinner wearing my camp shirt."

Chiron eyed the bright orange shirt and shook his head. "No, I don't think it would be."

They walked in silence for a while before Percy turned to Chiron.

"Chiron, I was wondering something," Percy said. Chiron looked up at him. "Do you think the Mist affects magical people the way it affects non-legacies?"

Chiron paused and thought about it for a moment. "I do not know. I would assume it does. Any trace of Hecate's blood would be so miniscule that the Mist would work on them as though they were ordinary mortals."

Percy nodded. "How does that work exactly? The trace in the blood, I mean."

"The same as it does for ethnicity," Chiron said. "That's what I've seen in the past with other legacies. You aren't considered having godly blood after 1/64 percent."

"Then how do you explain these people using magic? I doubt many-if any-are more than 1/64 percent godly."

"Magic seems to work differently. It doesn't appear to be impacted by blood status. Someone who is 1/300 percent godly can be just as powerful as a demigod. Isn't that what Hecate told you?"

Percy nodded. Hecate had said something along those lines when she had first confronted him about helping.

"What about Riptide? Would people here be able to see it? Would it even hurt them?"

"Doubtful. If the Mist affects them, they definitely will not be able to see it since it is Celestial Bronze, and if I'm right about their blood status, then it wouldn't be able to harm them at all."

Percy felt slightly more at ease. He had been quite worried that someone would accidently discover Riptide, and being able to manipulate the Mist would be very beneficial in hiding his true self. He was just glad Thalia had taught him how to manipulate the Mist before he came to England. The thought of Thalia made Percy suddenly quite homesick. Thankfully, they reached Hagrid's hut at that moment.

"I'm going to go up to Gryffindor Tower," said Percy. "I'll see you at dinner?"

Chiron nodded and waved him goodbye. Percy turned and ran back to the castle and up the steps to his dorm. Argus Filch and his demonic cat screeched at him to stop running, but Percy paid him no heed. After five years living with Harpies, Hogwarts' caretaker was not intimidating whatsoever which frustrated Filch to no end.

Upon reaching his dorm, Percy quickly changed into the robes McGonagall had made him buy their day in Diagon Alley. As he finished putting the robe on himself, he noticed several carriages emerge from the forest being led by what appeared to be black horses. _They're finally here,_ he thought to himself. The thought both excited him and made him nervous. It was all about to become very real. Percy was about to truly start at his eighth school-he didn't count his last school since he had only stayed there for a little while before monster cheerleaders had attacked him at a pep rally-and this one would possibly be more difficult than any of the rest.

Percy scrambled down the Grand Staircase as he heard the first students chatting loudly as they entered the castle. Sticking to the shadows to avoid being spotted, Percy managed to pass the arriving students and headed for the kitchen. He quickly tickled the pear, greeted the elves, and sacrificed a small amount of food to Poseidon. With that done, Percy left the kitchen and climbed the steps once more. All of his running and training was leaving him starving and exhausted. Students continued to enter the Great Hall, and Percy, using a clever Notice-Me-Not charm, slipped in with the crowd.

The Great Hall was decorated unlike the last few days. Enormous banners depicting a snake, a raven, a lion, and a badger hung from the ceiling which reflected the setting sun. Percy made his way to the table beneath the lion banner and looked around for a good place to sit. At the far end of the table, by the staff, sat two redheaded boys whispering conspiratorially to one another. _Those must be Mrs. Weasley's children. They're supposed to be my age._

Percy made his way over to the boys and was grateful to find a spot across from them. He waved his wand subtly and whispered the reversal spell. "Is this seat taken?"

The boys looked up and Percy dumbly realized they were in fact twins. They cocked their heads at him.

"You're new," said the one of the right.

"And American," said the other. Percy nodded slowly.

"I am. Name's Percy," he said holding his hand out. "I think I met your mother the other day in Diagon Alley."

The twins grinned. "Of course!"

"We've heard of you!"

"Ginny and Hermione were left blushing like mad."

Percy blushed himself. He didn't remember making anybody blush much less two girls. He repeated, "So is this seat taken?"

"Not at all!"

"Sit!"

"You're in Gryffindor then?"

"Mighty fine house, this is!"

Percy shook his head but smiled. They were very much like the Stoll twins... _no. Don't think about that._ He forced the smile to stay on his face. "I was sorted a little while ago."

"Our mum said you're in sixth year, is that right?" asked one twin. Percy nodded.

"Brilliant!" the twins said together. "You're with us!"

"Don't worry, Percy."

"We'll show you the ropes."

Percy grinned despite himself. They were quite friendly. "Sounds good. What are your names by the way?"

"I'm Fred," said the one on the right.

"And I'm George," said the other. Percy held his hand out to shake which both twins took and shook enthusiastically.

"I'm Percy Jackson. Nice to meet you both."

 **A/N: Whew, that was the longest chapter I've ever posted on this site (7,700+). I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you all who have continued reading this story and who favorited, followed, and reviewed! You guys are the best, and to those of you that are new to this story, welcome! Let me know what you guys think about this chapter in the review section. Until next time!**

 **Update on Balancing Act: Civil War…I've hit a little bit of writer's block in that story, but rest assured that the next chapter is being written; I just don't know when it'll be finished.**

 **Thank you to Distorted-Me for editing this chapter.**

 **UPDATE 10/23/2017: I am very, very sorry, but there will not be an update to either Empire of Dirt or BA:CW until December. A lot of things have happened in my personal life that have precedence over these stories. I am very sorry, and expect the next installment in December (if I do have time and energy, I might publish something around Thanksgiving). Till then, thank you for your support!**


	7. Chapter 7

The Golden Trio plus Ginny headed into the Great Hall where already the majority of the students were seated eager to eat dinner. They headed to the closest available seats and sat down beside Neville, Seamus, and Dean. The Hall was vibrant with laughter and loud conversations, and Harry simply sat back and enjoyed the feel of it. Hermione tapped his shin with her foot and gave him a look of concern.

"Just glad to be back," He said with a smile. She smiled back and returned to her conversation with Ginny and Parvati. Harry turned and began listening in to Ron and Dean's conversation about Quidditch versus Football when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Mr. Potter," said Dumbledore from behind him. Harry turned around startled. The Headmaster's eye twinkled madly as he handed Harry a piece of parchment. He gave Harry a wink and headed to his place at the head table.

"What's it say, Harry?" asked Ron. Hermione and Ginny both leaned in trying to read it upside down. Harry unfolded the parchment.

"'Mr. Potter, please join me in my office following dinner. We have much to discuss. Sincerely, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster, Supreme Mugwump, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot. P.S. You'll find that I have developed a taste for Saltwater Taffy.'"

"He has a lot of titles doesn't he?" snorted Ginny. Harry nodded and looked at his friends.

"I wonder what he wants to talk about? We only just got here."

Hermione shrugged. "Who knows. He might just want to know how your summer went."

Harry wasn't so sure, but he couldn't linger on it as Professor McGonagall strode into the Hall leading a group of nervous first years. Following the Sorting Ceremony, Dumbledore stood up and grabbed the attention of the Hall.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," Dumbledore said loudly. The Hall grew silent. "I have some rather important announcements before we begin dinner. Firstly, The Forbidden Forest is still off limits. Anyone found wandering there will be punished accordingly. Secondly, Mr. Filch would like to remind us all that all Zonko products are forbidden. That includes fanged frisbees." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, and Harry suddenly felt uneasy. "Lastly, I am sorry to inform you all that the Quidditch cup will not be held this year."

The Great Hall erupted in yells and mayhem. Dumbledore held his hands out and soon the Hall quieted down a tad though many were still scowling. Harry felt completely lost. Quidditch was the one thing he enjoyed most about Hogwarts. Now that he couldn't play he wasn't sure what he would do all year.

"Yes, I realize how frustrated you all must be," continued Dumbledore, "but I think you will all be pleased to know why we canceled Quidditch this year. Instead of the cup, we will be holding a very special event." Dumbledore opened his mouth to continue when the doors to the Great Hall slammed open. Everyone turned to see a grizzled, old man stumble into the Hall.

"That's Mad Eye Moody," whispered Ron. Harry's eyes widened. That was not who he had expected Dumbledore to choose as a professor. Moody was a short man but his most noticeable feature was the enormous eye strapped to his face. The eye swiveled around and seemed to be able to see anything and everything. "He's responsible for a the arrests of most of the Death Eaters. My dad says he's the best Auror in history."

Harry studied the new professor and decided that Moody really did look like a good DADA instructor. As Moody made his way to the head table, everyone turned to continue staring. Dumbledore smiled.

"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to our new Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor: Professor Alastor Moody!" Everyone clapped and applauded hesitantly, though Harry noticed that many at the Slytherin table looked less than pleased. Moody scowled at the students and took his seat at the table. Dumbledore clasped his hands together. "Now, as I was saying, we will be hosting a very special event over the upcoming months. We haven't taken part in this event in centuries, and it is my absolute delight to inform you that Hogwarts will be hosting the Triwizard Tournament!"

"No way!" shouted one of the twins. The Great Hall erupted in laughter and even Dumbledore chuckled.

"Yes, way." Dumbledore held out his hands. "Now, I am sure you are all starving. Let the feast begin!"

Food appeared on the table in front of them, and Ron wasted no time in scooping the food onto his plate and into his mouth. Harry felt a little uneasy. As exciting as this Tournament sounded, Harry was sure something bad was going to happen. The feeling passed though as Hermione and Ron got into another argument. Harry rolled his eyes and began eating. As uncertain as he was about this Tournament-whatever it was-he was still glad to be at Hogwarts.

"I can't believe they are hosting the Tournament again," said Ginny excitedly. "They haven't held it since before even Dumbledore was born!"

"What's so special about this Tournament?" asked Harry. Ron and Ginny both stared at him incredulously.

"Eternal glory!" cried out Ron. "A chance to prove yourself as the best wizard in the world!"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "It's a really deadly Tournament, Harry. They stopped hosting it after each of the contestants died. I think they're mad for bringing it back."

"It'll be great, Hermione," argued Ginny. "I'm sure Dumbledore won't let them do the same things they did before."

Harry lost focus. Now he was even more uncertain. Maybe this was what Dumbledore wanted to discuss. He hurried to finish his dinner, and by the time he and his friends had finished most of the students had already left. Harry blamed Ron for taking forever.

"We'll see you in the common room," said Hermione. Harry smiled and nodded and headed up to Dumbledore's office. The climb up the steps left him a tad winded, and Harry took a moment to catch his breath before walking up to the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's office.

"Saltwater Taffy," said Harry confidently. The gargoyle groaned and moved out of the way revealing another winding staircase. Harry sighed and headed up the steps. He reached out to knock on the door at the top of the steps when Dumbledore's voice called out.

"Come on in, Harry."

Harry cautiously opened the door and headed into the office. Dumbledore sat behind his desk with a wide smile.

"Right on time, Harry," Dumbledore said. "I hope you enjoyed the feast?"

Harry nodded and took a seat across from the Headmaster. "I did thank you. What is it you wished to speak to me about?"

Dumbledore nodded. "There are a lot of things we need to discuss, but first, I want you to tell me about the dream you had a few weeks ago."

"Did Sirius tell you?" asked Harry.

"He did. Frankly, I'm surprised you did not come to me with this yourself, Harry."

Harry shrugged. "I wasn't really sure what was going on, and I didn't want to bother you with it."

"I understand," Dumbledore said kindly. "Next time, however, I ask that you inform me immediately. Alright?" Harry nodded. "Excellent! Now tell me. This dream you had?"

Harry leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes. "It was a nightmare really. It was like I was looking through someone's eyes."

"Whose eyes?"

"A snake, I think. I was following a man-an old man. A muggle, I think, a gardener. I saw a light in this enormous home and followed the man up to check on it. We went inside and went up these steps. There was a room at the top where the light was coming from. The man stopped outside, and that's where I heard it all."

"Heard what?"

"Voices," Harry opened his eyes. "I heard Wormtail. He was talking to someone. I think it was Voldemort."

Dumbledore leaned back in his seat, his eyes fixed firmly on Harry.

"Actually, I know it was Voldemort," continued Harry. "He was telling Wormtail that he would reward him for capturing someone named Bartha Jenkins or something like that."

"Bertha Jorkins."

"Yes, exactly! Bertha Jorkins!" Harry hesitated. "How did you know that?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Bertha Jorkins works for the Ministry. At least she did. She went missing earlier this summer. I guess now there's no more mystery."

Harry began to sweat. "You mean my dream was real? All that actually happened?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry," Dumbledore said. "But I urge you not to panic."

"That's easy for you to say!" Harry growled. "You're not the one dreaming real things!"

Dumbledore held his hands out. "Harry, calm down. I understand how upsetting this is, but until I can figure out what is going on you need to calm down."

Harry struggled to calm down but managed to sit back in his seat. "There was more in my dream. Wormtail mentioned something about a plan to kidnap me. I'm guessing I shouldn't be worried about that?"

Dumbledore hesitated. How could he tell Harry not to worry about it? He glanced over at the clock on his desk. Percy was due any minute. "You're right, Harry. I cannot tell you not to worry. What I can tell you is that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

Harry did not look placated, but did not argue.

"Now, there is another reason why I asked you here, Harry."

"Besides my dream?"

"Yes. Harry, what do you know about the Greek myths?"

Harry furrowed his brow. _What does this have anything to do with me?_ "I know a little, I guess."

"What do you know?"

"Umm, well there are a bunch of gods like Zeus and monsters and stuff."

Dumbledore chuckled. "That's a fairly good start."

"No offense, Professor, but what does this have anything to do with me?"

"I ask you this, Harry, because the Greek myths are all real," Dumbledore said. "All of them. The gods are real, the monsters are real."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "You're joking."

"I promise you that I am not. You see, all magic originally comes from the Greek goddess of magic, Hecate. Her children-her demigods-were the original witches and wizards."

"So Merlin and the founders were demigods?"

"Merlin was. Not the founders, though Godric's mother was a demigod."

Harry leaned back and rubbed his eyes. "This is just too weird. How can the Greek gods be real? Wouldn't more people know? Wouldn't more people in the magical community know?"

"The magical community is made up of descendents of Hecate, and the gods only allow themselves to be known when they want to. Only a very select group even know of Hecate's existence, and even fewer have met her."

"Have you met her?" asked Harry skeptically.

"I have," Dumbledore confirmed. "I promise you that I am not joking."

"I...I know you wouldn't joke, Professor. This is just so weird!"

"I realize you may have questions, Harry. But there's more."

Harry looked at him. "What else could there be?"

"Voldemort is returning, Harry," Dumbledore said seriously. "Your dream only confirms that." Harry nodded slowly. He had been dreading that reality. "Thankfully, Hecate has decided that Voldemort cannot be allowed to succeed in destroying the world. She has brought us someone to help fight Tom."

"Who?" asked Harry.

"Someone who has faced the impossible and succeeded. Someone who knows what it's like to face pure evil." Dumbledore glanced up at the door to his office. "Ah, just in time. Harry, I beg of you to keep an open mind."

"What for, Professor?" asked Harry confused. He had already opened his mind to the reality of the Greek myths. What more could there be?

Dumbledore stood up from his seat and clasped his hands together. "Come in!"

Harry turned to look at the door of the office and watched as a young man stepped inside. The young man had spiked, black hair and sea green eyes. He was a tad taller than Harry and much more fit. He looked as though he were an Olympic athlete. He wore Gryffindor robes, but the most striking thing of all was that Harry recognized him.

"Percy?" Harry gasped. "Percy Jackson?"

Percy stepped in the office and gaped at Harry. He hesitated at the door and did not move. Harry looked from him to Dumbledore.

"It's Percy? The person sent to help is Percy? My neighbor?"

Dumbledore motioned for both Harry and Percy to take a seat. "Please sit down, both of you. I understand this is unexpected."

"That's putting it mildly, Dumbledore," said Percy as he sat down. He looked over at Harry. "So you're the kid I'm supposed to help huh? Funny how it turns out we are neighbors."

"You mean you didn't know it was me?" asked Harry. Percy shook his head.

"I didn't know anything. I was just told by Hecate to come to England and help somebody fight an evil wizard named Voldemort."

Harry eyed his neighbor carefully. "So you're a...umm...you're a..."

"Teenager?" asked Percy with a cheeky grin. "Yes, I am. I didn't lie about who I was when we met on Privet Drive."

"But you're a demigod?" Harry asked. Percy glanced at Dumbledore.

"You told him?"

"I told him some. I never mentioned anything about you."

Percy rolled his eyes and looked back at Harry. "Okay, so I lied about a few things. Yes, I am a demigod. I can use magic though."

"So you're mom is Hecate?" asked Harry confused. "I thought Sally was your real mom."

"She is," nodded Percy. "Sally I mean. I can only use magic because Hecate gave me her blessing. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to use a magic stick like you."

Harry scoffed but grinned. "I can't believe this. My neighbor is actually a demigod, and he's here at Hogwarts."

Percy grinned back. "It's weird, isn't it?"

"Yes, this is all exciting," Dumbledore said standing up, "but it is getting late, and you both have twenty minutes to get back to your common room."

Harry and Percy stood up and walked to the door when Dumbledore called Harry back.

"I'll wait for you outside then, I guess," said Percy. Harry nodded and Percy stepped out of the office.

"What's wrong, Professor?"

Dumbledore walked around the otherside of his desk and looked at the young wizard. "I realize that it is difficult for you to trust new people, Harry, but I ask that you give Percy a chance. There is much more than what meets the eye with that one. He has seen and done things that are only talked about in legends."

Harry's eyes widened, but he nodded. "I think I do trust him. He was really kind to me over the summer, and unless it was all a joke, I think I can really trust him."

Dumbledore smiled, his eye twinkling madly. "That's what I like to hear. Now hurry back to your common room. Don't want Filch catching you on the first night."

Outside of the office, Percy rested his back against the wall and rubbed his eyes. Everything was so strange. The kid he had met-his friend-was actually the person he had come to help. It had Hecate all over it, and Percy wasn't sure he was okay with it. While he liked Harry, and knowing that it was Harry that he was supposed to help definitely made things easier, but Percy hated being manipulated by the gods. He paused. Did Hestia have anything to do with all of this? She had been there when Hecate first approached him. She had to know something. The gargoyle stepping to the side brought him out of his musings, and Percy stepped away from the wall just as Harry came down the steps.

"So you're really here to help?" asked Harry curiously. Percy nodded.

"I am. I swear though that I had no idea it was you."

"I believe you. I don't know I guess this is just so crazy."

Percy chuckled. "I hear ya. This has all been so weird. I mean magic? Magic exists?"

Harry laughed. "That's nothing. I just found out that the Greek gods exist!"

"Yeah," Percy agreed, "finding out the gods are real is...life changing to say the least."

"You're so lucky. It must be awesome being a demigod."

Percy shook his head. "It's really not. You should be glad you're just a legacy. I would give anything not to be a demigod."

Harry cocked his head, but the dark look on Percy's face made him stop before asking anything else. Before too long the two of them reached the Fat Lady's portrait. Harry grinned as the Lady gushed over a blushing Percy who quickly gave the password. The entrance to the common room opened up and Percy followed Harry inside. Two kids poked their heads up over the back of the couch and jumped up when they saw Harry walk in. Percy noticed that one of them had fiery red hair. _Must be another Weasley_ , he thought.

"Harry!" cried out the girl without red hair. "We were so worried! What took so long? What did Professor Dumbledore want?"

Percy shook his head at all the questions and walked around the group thankful that none of them had noticed him.

"I'm alright, Hermione," chuckled Harry. "Dumbledore just wanted to discuss a few things with me about my summer and the upcoming year."

Hermione did not seem impressed with the answer but didn't say anything more. Ron dragged Harry back to the couch where he had a chessboard all set up. Harry looked around the common room for Percy and found him headed up the steps to the boys dorms. He shrugged. There'd be more time to talk later.

««‡»»

Percy woke up bright and early the next day. The sun had not even begun rising yet when he hauled himself out of bed. The stone floor of the dorm burned his feet, and he hissed out. Gingerly, he reached out and grabbed his socks and put them on. Glad that he could actually step on the ground, Percy made his way out of the dorm room careful not to wake the three other boys.

Percy chuckled to himself as he glanced at the other three in the room. The Weasley twins were crazy and obnoxious-Percy already found himself at home. Lee Jordan, the fourth boy in the dorm, was much more reserved than Fred and George, but he was still crazier than practically anybody Percy knew. It felt like being in the Hermes again. Percy hesitated as he reached the top of the steps. The thought of the Hermes cabin brought back bad memories. It took him a moment before he felt ready to head down the steps.

The common room was peaceful and quiet. The fireplace emitted little light from the cooling charcoal, but the few candles around the room provided enough light for him to reach the portrait guarding the entrance. Glancing around to make sure no one was around, Percy opened the portrait and headed out of Gryffindor Tower. He still had three hours before the breakfast feast. Classes would begin today, and Percy wasn't ready for them.

Percy carefully made his way out of Hogwarts and down to the Great Lake. Chiron sat in his wheelchair on the far side of the lake waiting. Percy approached his mentor who wasted no time in leaping out of his chair and thrusting a spear towards him. Anaklusmos slashed out in the blink of an eye paring the spear to the side.

Chiron, now in his true form, continued to thrust and jab at Percy with both ends of the spear. The two sparred as though expert dancers. Percy spun carefully around as the spear came towards him and, in one fluid motion, launched himself into the air landing a solid kick on Chiron's right flank. The centaur stumbled backwards and made to lunge at Percy again when the sun poked its head over the top of the Forbidden Forest. Chiron eyed the light and returned to his wheelchair.

"That's enough for this morning," he said. "Your footwork is better today, but you still need to focus more."

Percy wiped the sweat off his forehead and capped Anaklusmos. "I found the kid I'm supposed to help."

Chiron's eyes widened. "Really? Who is it?"

"It's Harry," Percy said with a grin.

"Har-Wait, you mean our neighbor Harry?" asked Chiron incredulously. Percy nodded his head.

"Yep! Spoke with him last night."

"What did you tell him?"

"I didn't really tell him anything. Dumbledore did it all."

"Really? How did he take that?"

"Pretty well," said Percy. "It was a lot to take in, but I think he believes me."

Chiron nodded. "That's good. Now you better hurry up. Breakfast is in a little over an hour, and you have to run five laps."

Percy groaned but said farewell to Chiron as he began running around the lake. After five full laps around the large lake, Percy collapsed into the water. Not for the first time, Percy was glad to be the son of Poseidon. The water was not cold despite the cool morning; rather, it was refreshing. Immediately, Percy felt rejuvenated and ready to face the day. He would need it since he was about to start classes in a world he was hopelessly unprepared for. Seeing the sun's rays higher in the sky, Percy emerged from the lake completely dry and made his way back into the castle. What he never noticed was a certain fiery red haired girl watching him from her dorm window.

««‡»»

Harry sat down at the table across from Ron and Hermione and grinned at them. "I have some awesome news."

"What's going on, Harry?"

"Remember my neighbor I told you about?"

Hermione nodded. "The American across the street?"

Harry nodded. "Well it turns out that he's here at Hogwarts!"

Hermione's eyes widened in recognition. "Wait, what was his name again?"

"Percy Jackson," Harry said grinning. Ron choked on his food.

"Percy?" Ron rasped out. "The bloke that made Hermione and Ginny go bonkers?"

Hermione pursed her lips and smacked Ron on the back. Harry chuckled and nodded.

"Yep! That's him. I met him in Dumbledore's office."

"That's incredible!" Hermione said genuinely happy to see Harry smiling. "I'm glad that you finally have someone living near you. He got sorted into Gryffindor didn't he?"

"Who got sorted into Gryffindor?" asked Ginny as she sat down beside Hermione.

"Good morning," Hermione said with a smile. "We were talking about Harry's neighbor, Percy. It turns out he's the guy we saw in Diagon Alley."

"That's incredible, Harry," Ginny exclaimed. "Is he nice?"

"Why do you want to know?" retorted Ron. "Are you going to go and blush all over him?"

Before Ginny could retort, Percy stepped into Great Hall. Harry waved him over, and the tall boy walked over and sat down beside Harry. He awkwardly glanced at the three across from him.

"Umm, hello," he said. "Name's Percy."

Harry bit back a laugh at the looks on his friend's faces-especially Ron. "Percy these are my friends, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny."

Percy blushed at hearing Hermione and Ginny's names. He wasn't exactly sure what to do with himself. "Nice to meet you all. Any friend of Harry's is a friend of mine."

Hermione and Ginny smiled warmly at him though Ron simply eyed him.

"Harry said that you moved here just this summer from America?" asked Hermione. Percy, glad for conversation starter, nodded.

"Just about a week ago actually. My step-dad got a job teaching at King's College in London," Percy explained. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Your step-dad is a college professor?" she asked excitedly.

"Yep. He teaches history. He used to teach English in high school, but he's always had a passion for history."

"That must be so awesome!" Harry, Ginny, and Ron rolled their eyes at their friend.

"I wouldn't really know," Percy said with a chuckle. "I have ADHD and dyslexia so school isn't exactly my favorite thing in the world."

Ron and Ginny cocked their heads at him.

"What's ADHD and dyslexia?" asked Ginny.

"ADHD stands for Attention Deficit Hyper Disorder," explained Hermione. "It means that it is very difficult to focus on something for very long. People with ADHD are really active and move around all the time."

"What about that other one?" asked Ron.

"Dyslexia basically makes reading comprehension difficult," said Percy. It was oversimplified, but he didn't really think he needed to explain that the reason he had both was due to being a demigod.

"So school must be pretty difficult for you," said Ginny. Percy shrugged.

"You could say that."

"Percy was expelled from six different schools," said Harry with a grin. Percy glared at him and gave him a good natured shove. Hermione looked absolutely offended.

"Expelled from _six_ schools?!" she cried out. Percy shrugged with a small smile.

"I never did anything on purpose...things just happened."

"Like what?" asked Ron curiously. He finally grinned at meeting someone else who disliked school as much as him.

"I may have..." Percy coughed, "I may have accidentally fired a cannon at the school bus on a field trip..."

Harry, Ron, and Ginny roared in laughter while Hermione looked like she was about to faint. Percy shrugged.

"What? It was an accident!"

Before Hermione could yell at him, Professor McGonagall walked by and handed them each their timetables. Percy looked at the stone for a moment trying to read it.

"What do you have first?" asked Ginny. Percy looked up at her and blushed slightly.

"Sorry, my mind isn't focused right. Could you read it?"

Ginny smiled and nodded taking the tablet from him. She read through it carefully and handed it back. "You have double Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall first. Class starts in just twenty minutes so you should get moving."

Percy took the tablet back and grinned at her. "Thanks, I owe you one. Nice to meet you three. See you all later. See ya, Harry."

Harry and the others waved goodbye to Percy who rushed over to the Weasley twins and followed them out of the Hall.

"What did you guys think of him?" asked Harry.

Ron shrugged. "Seems like a decent bloke."

The girls rolled their eyes but agreed. Harry grinned. He was glad that his best friends liked Percy. Dumbledore had been right; Harry did not trust easily, but there was something about Percy that made him the exception to that. Perhaps it was the many similarities the two shared. Whatever it was, Harry was determined to learn more about his new friend's past. There had to be a reason why the gods would chose Percy of all people, and Harry was determined to learn what. The only question was whether or not he should tell Hermione and Ron about it.

 **A/N: I'm back! I said I would publish the next chapter in December and here it is. I would have published it earlier, but fun story: my computer broke. Not only did it break, when I got it repaired, the technician screwed up so I had to take it back again for repair. Two weeks of December I didn't have my computer. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed this chapter!**

 **Huge thanks to those that favorited, followed, and reviewed and a shoutout to** **Alysx** **for being the 100th favorite!**

 **Until next time!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Seeing as how this potion is a requirement for this year," drawled Snape, "we will be doing it first and getting it out of the way. The instructions are on the board. You know where the ingredients are. Begin."

Percy glanced at the cauldron in front of him completely lost. Fred and George grinned at each other and in less than a minute they were hard at work on their potion. Percy's partner, Lee, shrugged and walked over to grab the ingredients they needed. Having gotten everything, he began chopping the ingredients.

"As soon as I put this in," he told Percy, "I need you to begin stirring counterclockwise."

"I can do that," he nodded. Lee dropped the chopped ingredients into the cauldron, and Percy began stirring as he was told. The liquid in the cauldron, to his amazement, began shifting colors.

"It's awesome isn't it?" asked Lee.

"It's something alright. What does this potion do?"

Lee eyed him strangely. "You don't know what it does?"

Percy shrugged. "I never really made potions before coming here."

He didn't look like he believed Percy, but he shrugged. "Amortentia is a love potion. Whoever drinks it becomes obsessed with a specific person."

"Are you serious?" asked Percy. Snape glared at their loud conversation. "Are you serious?" he whispered.

"It's a really powerful potion," explained Lee. "It's not easy to find the ingredients, and it's not necessarily legal."

Percy shook his head. As amazing and practical as magic was, he was not thrilled about the darker side of it, though he supposed that was the whole point. He continued his stirring until Lee finished chopping the next ingredient. It looked absolutely disgusting, so Percy didn't ask what it was.

"Okay, you can stop stirring now. We need to let it simmer for about thirty minutes," Lee explained.

"What do we do in the meantime?"

Lee shrugged. "I usually just clean up."

Percy agreed that that sounded good so the two of them began cleaning up their workstation. He was impressed to see that the twins had already finished their potion in record time and had cleaned up their station. It appeared that they were spending the remainder of their time whispering to each other and writing in a notebook. Snape sneered at them but said nothing.

"Can you banish the Ashwinder egg shells?" asked Lee. Percy glanced at the egg shells and pulled out his wand. He thought for a moment about which spell he was supposed to use. It took a moment before he remembered the banishing charm. Snape eyed him carefully but nodded.

Lee, having finished cleaning up, went over to the twins and joined in on their conversation. Percy just sat back and watched the room. It had been an interesting day so far. Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall had not been too terrible, but Percy found that magic theory was just as boring as regular school. Even worse was that it was a double class meaning it was twice as long. He had a short ten minute break after Transfiguration before he had to make his way into the dungeon for double potions with Snape. The twins and Lee had warned Percy profusely about Snape, but Percy didn't mind him all that much. Snape didn't sneer or glare at him the way he did other students. They had a mutual understanding.

When the potion was finally finished, Percy called Lee over to check it out. The liquid had turned a beautiful color that reminded Percy of pearls he had seen in Atlantis, and a blue steam wafted over the cauldron.

"If you made your potion correctly," said Snape drawing the class' attention, "it should look like this."

Everyone looked at the front of the room where a large cauldron contained a perfect Amortentia potion. Percy didn't see any difference between his and Lee's potion and Snape's, but he could have cared less either way. Lee pulled out a glass vial, cast a unbreakable charm on it, and used a ladle to pour some of the potion into it. Lee carried the vial to Snape who, after inspecting it, placed it on a rack beside him.

When everyone had turned in their potion, Snape returned to the front of the room and stood by his potion. "Before you leave, if you are so inclined, you may smell the Amortentia. If you don't want to then get out."

Many of the students from both Gryffindor and Ravenclaw left the dungeon, but Percy lingered back with Lee and the twins. They waited until everyone else had smelled the potion-many of the girls had giggled for some reason-before they went up to the potion.

"Do you smell what I smell, brother?" asked Fred.

"I do indeed, brother," answered George. They high fived and marched out of the classroom ignoring Snape's sneers. Lee leaned forward, sniffed quickly, and rushed out of the room leaving Percy alone with Snape. Percy stepped forward but hesitated.

"What exactly am I supposed to smell?" asked Percy.

"When you smell Amortentia you smell whatever it is that you love more than anything," explained Snape. Percy furrowed his brow. That sounded oddly like nectar. The thought of nectar reminded Percy of his mom's blue chocolate chip cookies. _Man, I would kill for a plate of those_. Percy leaned over the cauldron and took a deep sniff. He expected to smell his mom's cookies. He didn't expect to smell nothing.

"I don't smell anything."

Snape eyed him. "You don't smell anything at all?"

Percy shook his head.

"Are you feeling alright? You're not sick are you?"

"I feel great. I just don't smell anything."

Snape thought for a moment. "What class do you have next?"

"I'm free for the rest of the day. I just have lunch next."

"Would you mind missing a part of your lunch?" asked Snape.

"What do you have in mind?"

What Snape had in mind turned out to be a trip to the Hospital wing. Percy had yet to explore this part of the castle and was amused to see that the room looked like a World War 2 infirmary. The Hospital matron, a kind woman named Madam Pomfrey came bustling out of her office.

"Oh dear," she said, "what happened this time? Another potions injury?"

"Mr. Jackson experienced something interesting in my class," explained Snape, "that needs to be explained."

Pomfrey looked at Percy. "What happened?"

Percy shrugged. "I tried smelling Amortentia, but I didn't smell anything."

"You didn't smell anything at all?" she asked.

Percy shook his head.

"Take a seat on the bead, Mr. Jackson," she said. "I'm going to bring you a Pepper-up potion. That should clear your sinuses."

Before Percy could argue that he was perfectly healthy, Pomfrey rushed into her office and returned with the potion.

"Drink it all," she commanded. Percy thought about arguing, but decided it would be easier just to do as she said. He tipped his head back and downed the entire vial of potion. He didn't feel any different. Madam Pomfrey and Snape both looked at him eyes wide.

"What the hell just happened, Poppy?" asked Snape. Madam Pomfrey just shook her head.

"I haven't the foggiest. Never in my life have I ever heard of this."

"What's going on?" asked Percy confused.

"The Pepper-up potion is a very strong potion that should make your body feel like it is much hotter than normal," explained Pomfrey. "Steam should be coming from your ears."

Percy shrugged. "Don't feel any different."

"Lie back down. I need to run some tests."

Percy groaned but laid down on the bed. Madam Pomfrey held out her wand and waved it intricately over his body. Lights emerged in front of her wand before she gasped and took a step backwards.

"Poppy, what is it?" asked Snape. Percy sat up on his elbows. Pomfrey stared at Percy in awe.

"His blood," she whispered. "His blood isn't human."

Percy's eyes widened before he nodded as though it were normal. "Ah, that figures."

"What are you?" she rasped out. Percy got up from the bed. He looked at Snape, unsure if he should give her the truth.

"Mr. Jackson comes from a rather interesting lineage," explained Snape. "The Headmaster is already aware of this."

"What are you?" she asked again.

"I'm sorry," Percy said apologetically. "I'm not really comfortable discussing it."

"Poppy, I need you to keep this to yourself," Snape said firmly. Pomfrey nodded, her eyes never leaving Percy.

"O-Of course, yes I will keep this to myself," she said. Percy smiled and thanked her before leaving the Hospital wing to get some lunch. When he was gone, she looked at the potions professor.

"Is he a danger?" she asked.

Snape shrugged. "He has the potential to be. Time will tell."

««‡»»

Harry and Ron sat down, excited for their first class with Professor Moody. Fred and George and even Percy had said that Moody's class was extremely interesting. They didn't say what they were learning though. Harry glanced over at Hermione who looked quite flustered that Moody was not on time. Time continued to tick by and still no sign of the new professor.

"Constant Vigilance!" roared a violent voice from the back of the room. Nearly everyone in the room jumped out of their seats screaming. Everyone except for Harry. Harry was the only one who had pulled out his wand and pointed it at Moody. The grizzled professor hobbled out of his corner where he had been standing disillusioned the entire time.

"10 points to Gryffindor. Well done, Mr. Potter," said Moody. He glared at the rest of the students. "You must all learn to be more aware of your surroundings. Had I been a real threat, you would all be dead!"

Ron gulped in his seat, but Harry thought Moody just might be the best DADA professor they could have needed with Voldemort trying to return. The class watched Moody as he made his way to the front of the class. He flicked his wand at the chalkboard and one word appeared: _Unforgivables_. This time Harry gulped. He seriously hoped they wouldn't be practicing the spells. He doubted it, but nothing seemed off limits with Moody.

"Today we will be discussing the three Unforgivable curses," said Moody. "Now, can anybody tell me one of the curses?"

The class looked around cautiously. No one wanted to speak up. Finally, Neville rose his hand up cautiously.

"The Cruciatus curse?" asked Neville his voice cracking. Moody eyed the pudgy boy.

"You are Mr. Longbottom?" Neville nodded. "Fitting that you should know that one."

Neville whimpered quietly as Moody spun around and brought out a jar with an enormous spider in it. Ron paled and Harry had to place a comforting hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Moody dumped the spider onto Parvati's desk who screamed and backed away.

"Crucio!" cried out Moody. A crimson light burst from his wand and hit the spider which began shrieking. Harry didn't know that spiders could make a noise at all. It was a heartbreaking and terrifying sound.

"Stop it! Can't you see how it's affecting him?" bellowed Hermione. Harry and Ron looked over to where she was holding on to a visibly distraught Neville. Harry frowned and wondered what it was that had Neville in such a state. Moody released the spider from the curse and placed the jar over it to prevent its escape.

"The second unforgivable?" he asked ignoring Hermione. Ron hesitantly rose his hand. "Weasley?"

"Yes, sir. The Imperius curse?"

Moody nodded. "You father must have mentioned that one. Gave the Ministry a heap of trouble that curse did." He lifted the jar. "Imperio!"

The class laughed as Moody made the spider dance around and leap from desk to desk. Harry thought the sight of the dancing spider was funny, but deep down he knew it was immoral.

"Everyone get in a line," ordered Moody. "The Imperius curse is unfortunately very common. Therefore you need to know how to fight against it!"

The class hurried to get in line, and they watched in amusement as Moody cast the spell on each student. Hermione began doing some sort of Muggle dance, Neville tried to stand on his head, and Ron began singing the Hogwarts song quite loudly. Each person did whatever Moody told them to do until it was finally Harry's turn.

"Imperio!"

Harry felt the spell wash over him. For a brief moment he heard a voice in his head telling him to begin dancing on the desk. It was tempting. So very tempting, but he thought firmly to himself, _No!_ The class watched with bated breath as Harry stared directly at Moody doing absolutely nothing.

 _Jump on the desk, Potter!_ the voice ordered. This time it was much more commanding.

 _I said no!_ rasped out Harry. Moody stumbled backwards much to the shock of the class.

"30 points to Gryffindor!" said Moody with a tone that sounded strangely like pride. "Mr. Potter just shrugged off the Imperius curse as though it were nothing!"

The class gaped at Harry but sat back down in their seats as Moody began barking orders again to carry on with the lesson.

"What is the third Unforgivable?" Moody asked once everyone was back in their seats. He removed the jar and held the spider down. The class was silent, and many glanced at Harry with unease. "Nobody? It's the Killing curse. Avada Kedavra!"

A sickly green light shot out from his wand and hit the spider. It crumbled up into a ball dead. Harry felt sick to his stomach.

"The Killing curse is aptly named because it cannot be blocked and instantly kills the victim. Only one person has ever survived the Killing curse, and he's sitting right here!"

Class ended shortly after, and Harry was confident that this year would be very interesting with Professor Moody. Especially if this was just his first class with him.

««‡»»

Percy looked around the hall. Everyone was either in class or off studying somewhere. He grinned and headed out of the castle and down the lake. The walk down was quiet, and Percy took a moment to appreciate the sheer beauty of his surroundings. He looked over at where Chiron was assisting Hagrid with one of Hagrid's classes, but they were too far for Percy to hear. The lake itself was peaceful. Without a strong breeze, there was hardly a ripple on the water. Unfortunately, Percy didn't have time to explore the lake. He walked around the outskirts of the lake to its farthest point away from the castle. Ducking behind the treeline, Percy fished out a golden drachma from his pocket. A stream of water came out of his ring and turned instantly into mist.

Percy tossed the drachma into the mist and said, "Oh Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Thalia Grace."

The mist froze for a second before shimmering into the image of a young teenage girl with crazy black hair.

"Thalia!" called out Percy. The girl looked all around before her eyes landed on Percy. She grinned brightly.

"Percy! I'm so glad you're okay! I stopped by camp but Argus said you and Chiron had left."

Percy nodded. "So much has happened since..."

"It's okay, Seaweed Brain, I miss them all too," Thalia said quietly. "Where are you?"

Percy was glad she didn't ask him directly how he was doing. Truthfully, he wasn't sure himself. "That's a really long story."

Thalia looked around. "We just camped for the night, so I have time to hear it."

Percy nodded and sat down on a log. Thalia followed suit and sat down where she was. Percy explained how Hestia and Hecate had confronted him about helping Hecate's legacies. He gave Thalia a quick overview of the magical community, why it was hidden, and why he was in Europe to begin with.

"So let me get this straight," Thalia said. "You just finished fighting a war and now the gods want you to help in another one?"

"I don't know if I will actually take part in this war," Percy said, "but they need my help in training their prophesied wizard."

Thalia rubbed her eyes before laughing. "That just sounds so crazy!"

"It does, I know," Percy grinned. "It's all true though. Chiron is here with me."

"A world of witches and wizards? That actually sounds pretty cool."

"It's alright," Percy shrugged. "Hecate blessed me so I can use magic, but it just doesn't feel natural to me."

"Does the kid you're supposed to help know about who you really are?"

"He does and some of the professors do. Nobody else though."

"Be safe, Percy," Thalia said sincerely. "I can't bear to lose you too."

Percy stood up and smiled weakly at his cousin. "I love ya, Thalia."

"Love you too, Seaweed Brain," she grinned. "I have to go. IM me again soon, okay?"

Percy nodded and waved goodbye. Thalia waved back and waved her hand through the mist ending the message. Percy stood there for a moment before sighing and turning around. When he turned around, he found himself staring down the shaft of a wand.

"Ginny right?" Percy said cautiously, his hand reaching for the pen in his pocket. "Put down the wand before somebody gets hurt."

"Who are you?" the redhead asked, glaring at him.

"I'm Percy Jackson. We met at breakfast."

Ginny rolled her eyes, but her grip never relaxed. "Who are you really?"

Percy took a step backwards away from her wand. "I don't know what you mean. I'm a wizard. I just transferred here at the end of summer."

"Bullshit," Ginny spat out. "I saw you this morning. You jumped in the lake then came out completely dry. How do you explain that?"

"Magic." Percy struggled to hide his grin.

"You can do wandless magic?" Ginny closed the distance between her wand and Percy.

"Umm...yes?" Percy was running out of ideas. He didn't want to pull out his pen cause that would clearly reveal himself, but he also wouldn't be able to prove he could do wandless magic. He didn't even know that was a thing.

"Prove it," Ginny ordered. Percy groaned inwardly. Of course she had to say that.

"I can't do it all the time?"

"Who are you really?" Ginny asked again. "Give me a good answer or I swear you'll be in the Hospital wing for a month. Not to mention what Dumbledore will do to you."

Percy glanced around them. He knew there was something he could probably do to get out of this situation, but his mind was drawing a blank. So, he did the only thing he could think of. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen.

"A pen?" asked Ginny confused. She went to cast a spell at Percy when he uncapped the pen and Riptide sprang out. The witch jumped backwards startled. She tightened her grip on her wand.

"I'm not going to hurt you," said Percy. "You're right. I'm not your typical wizard."

"Who are you?"

"My name really is Percy Jackson," he said, "but I'm not a wizard at all. I am a demigod."

Ginny glared at him. "A demigod?"

"Yeah, a demigod. You know, half man-half god?"

"Do you honestly expect me to believe you?"

Percy shrugged. He thought about the conversation he had with Chiron and decided now would be the time to find out. Before Ginny could even react, Percy rolled to her left side and brought his hand down on her wrist. The strike wasn't hard enough to actually hurt her, but it made her drop her wand on the ground. She tried to wrench free, but Percy was much too strong. He brought the blade of Riptide to her arm.

"Don't cry, I promise I won't hurt you," he said though he realized just how insane that sounded. Especially considering he had just attacked her and was threatening her with a sword. Ginny growled at him and tried harder to wrench free from his grip. Percy quickly brought the blade of his sword down to her arm and sighed with relief when the sword passed harmlessly through her. Ginny quit struggling and gaped at the sword.

"What the hell just happened?" she growled.

"My sword is made of Celestial Bronze. It cuts through supernatural beings, but not through mortals."

Ginny finally pulled her arm free and stepped away from Percy. "Celestial Bronze?"

Percy nodded. He thrust his sword forward again, and Ginny gasped in shock and terror as the blade went for her gut; however, like the previous time, the blade passed through her cleanly. "You're a mortal therefore my sword can't cut you."

Ginny glared at him. "How do I know that's not just an illusion? Cut yourself."

Percy shrugged. "I can't." He held up his hands in surrender when Ginny made to attack him. "I can't because I have a curse on me!"

Ginny hesitated. "A curse?"

"Yes," Percy nodded. "Have you ever heard of Achilles?"

"I think so yes," Ginny said slowly. "His mom dipped him in a river and he had invulnerable skin. Are you saying you are like Achilles?"

Percy nodded again. "I have what's known as the Curse of Achilles. It means I can't cut myself even with Celestial Bronze."

"Then magic a magical oath," Ginny said. "Make an oath that you really are a 'demigod,' and that you aren't here with evil intentions."

Percy thought about it. It sounded like a magical oath was the equivalent to swearing on the Styx. He appreciated Ginny's cautiousness. He had made the mistake of trusting someone once. Now almost everyone he loved was dead. "I've never made one before. How do I do it?"

"Hold your wand out and swear on your magic."

Percy held his wand out in his left hand. "I swear on my magic that I, Percy Jackson, am a demigod and that I have only good intentions in being here at Hogwarts."

Ginny held her breath, but when nothing happened she finally relaxed.

"How did you even know there was something different about me?" asked Percy. He was rather irritated that he had been so careless with his secret. "It couldn't have just been the lake."

Ginny gave him a cheeky grin. "I was in the Hospital wing a few days ago talking with Madam Pomfrey in her office when you and Snape walked in. I heard her say that you weren't human."

Percy's eyes widened. "Didn't you hear Snape say that Dumbledore already knows?"

"Yep," said Ginny. "I just wanted to see if I could pry it out of you. You cracked easily."

Percy glared at her but put Riptide back in his pocket. He bent down, picked up Ginny's wand, and handed it back to her. "Sorry about scaring you with the sword."

"It's alright," Ginny said. "But if you ever do something like that again I really will curse you."

"Duly noted," grinned Percy. "You can't tell anybody about me, you know."

"Does Harry know?"

"He does. Dumbledore and I told him my secret in his office last night."

"Well, if Harry and Dumbledore trust you I guess I will too," Ginny said. Percy smiled.

"I appreciate it. Smart of you to be cautious. Never just trust someone you don't know."

Ginny watched as Percy turned and began walking back towards Hogwarts. The way he had applauded her cautiousness made it seem as though there was a bad memory there. She honestly didn't know what to make of Percy. When she had seen him getting out of the lake, she had been uncertain of him, but it wasn't until she overheard Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital wing that she grew really suspicious of him. She knew he was not human, but she had never expected him to be a demigod.

Percy paused in his track and turned around. Ginny was eyeing him cautiously. "You coming or what?"

Ginny nodded and began walking with him back to the castle. She had so many questions but didn't know how to phrase any of them. She still felt unsure about him.

"Yes, the gods are real," Percy said as they walked. It was as though he could read her mind. "I honestly didn't even know witches and wizards existed until this summer. Hecate-the goddess of magic-came to me and told me to come to England."

Ginny shook her head. "That's so weird to think about. Is Hecate your mother?"

Percy chuckled. "No, she's not. I can use magic because she gave me her blessing."

"I don't really know how to react to this," Ginny said. Percy nodded.

"Trust me, learning that your world exists was a big shock to me as well."

"So why exactly are you here?"

"I'm here to help fight Voldemort."

Ginny shivered at the name. She had always had a suspicion that Voldemort wasn't dead-that he would return one day. Percy just confirmed her suspicion. "He's really coming back then?"

Percy nodded. "He is. At least, Hecate and Dumbledore believe so."

Ginny opened her mouth to say something when Chiron came up in his wheelchair. Ginny glanced at him.

"May we help you?" she asked. Percy laughed.

"Ginny, meet Chiron."

Chiron glared at Percy and hissed out, "Percy!"

"Relax," said Percy. "She knows about me. She overheard the Hospital matron when she discovered that I'm not exactly human."

"You know about him being a demigod then?" asked Chiron. Ginny nodded, confused as to who this old man was. "Then you know you cannot let anyone know."

"I know that," Ginny said. "But who are you?"

Chiron blanched. "I'm sorry where are my manners. My name is Chiron. I've been Percy's trainer for years."

"Trainer?"

"Unlike in your world," said Percy, "we demigods are forced to learn how to fight at an early age."

"Fight what?"

"Monsters, other demigods-it varies to be honest," said Chiron. "Now you know a little bit about me. Who are you?"

"I'm Ginny Weasley," she said. "Pleasure to meet you."

"I'd love to stay and chat," said Percy, "but we need to get to dinner."

Chiron nodded. "Of course. I'll speak with you tomorrow, Percy."

Chiron waved goodbye to Ginny who hesitantly waved back. Percy nodded at Chiron and led Ginny into the castle. Ginny watched Percy carefully as they walked quietly. He was a fascinating figure. He was both confident yet nervous. He was strong yet careful. Ginny had no idea what to make of him. She noticed her roommates by the entrance to the Great Hall. She stopped and looked at Percy.

"I'm keeping my eye on you," she said. Percy nodded.

"Wouldn't expect any less."

She watched Percy turn and head down the main staircase. She wasn't sure where he was going, but she was distracted by her roommates running up to her giggling about Draco and a ferret. Whatever that meant. When Ginny looked back, Percy was gone.

 **A/N: Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it.**

 **Huge thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed the story you guys are awesome! Also, shout out to** Personofmanythings **for being the 200th follower!**

 **Til next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

Harry groaned as Hermione began another one of her rants. This time she was arguing about the rights of house elves. Ron and the twins were arguing with her attempting to explain that that was the purpose of house elves. Hermione was having none of it.

"How can you stand back and allow innocent creatures to be enslaved!" she growled out incensed.

"They need to be enslaved, Hermione!" yelled Ron. "Don't you remember Winky from the World Cup? She nearly died because she was set free!"

Hermione huffed. "They're all being brainwashed. You're all part of the problem if you won't join me and SPEW."

Harry rubbed his eyes tiredly. "SPEW?"

Hermione looked at him and nodded. "Yes, SPEW. It stands for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. I have made badges, and tomorrow I will be distributing them around. Will you join?"

Not wanting to get into a fight with her, Harry nodded. "Sure, I guess."

Hermione grinned at him and then glared at the Weasley boys. "See? At least someone is listening to reason."

From behind her back, Harry rolled his eyes making the boys cough to try and cover their laughter. Hermione, unaware, simply smiled at her success and stood up. "I'm headed to bed. Night."

They all said goodnight to Hermione, and the twins decided to head on up as well. Ron looked at Harry.

"You're not seriously considering helping her are you?"

"I don't know," shrugged Harry. "She has good intentions."

"Bloody mental that one is."

"She just wants to help, Ron."

"I know, it's just that she doesn't understand what she's doing. She could do more harm than good if she's not careful."

Just as Harry was about to respond, the entrance opened, and Percy stepped into the room with Ginny following close behind. Harry and Ron watched with amusement as Ginny peppered Percy with questions of America and New York. Percy looked completely annoyed which made the boys laugh.

"Okay, goodnight, Ginny!" Percy said loudly. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Fine, I'll just keep asking you tomorrow. Night everyone."

Harry and Ron muttered goodnight as Percy plopped down beside them on the couch.

"She's annoying isn't she?" asked Ron. Percy just waved his hand.

"It's whatever. If the worst she does is just ask a bunch of questions then I have nothing to worry about." Percy looked at Harry. "Can we talk?"

Harry nodded and looked at Ron. "Can you give us a minute? I'll be right up."

Ron shrugged and stood up. "Goodnight, Percy."

"Night, Ron."

When Ron was finally out of the common room, Percy motioned for Harry to follow him over to the window.

"Is everything okay?" asked Harry.

"You're having nightmares aren't you?"

Harry blanched. He hadn't expected Percy to know much less be so blunt about it. "How did you-"

"Just answer the question."

Harry paused before nodding. "Almost every night. Sometimes they are just nightmares...other times...I don't even know what's going on." He wasn't sure why he was telling Percy all of this. Perhaps it was their bond. Perhaps Harry was just so eager to talk to someone other than Dumbledore or Sirius that it just slipped out.

"You're seeing real life events aren't you?" asked Percy. Harry's eyes widened. "I know what that's like."

"You do?" asked Harry. "How?"

"I don't know how it works for you," Percy said, "but we demigods get these dreams sometimes. We call them demigod dreams. We see our enemies in real life and can sometimes figure out their plans. They usually find out they're being watched though."

"It's different for me," said Harry. He walked over to the fireplace and stared into the flames. "I've had only one dream like that, but it was as if I was looking through the eyes of a snake."

"A snake?"

"Yeah. Don't know how. Dumbledore doesn't really seem to know either."

Just then a snowy owl flew up to the window and tapped on the glass.

"Hedwig!" exclaimed Harry. Percy opened the door and the owl flew inside and perched on top of the mantle. "Is that from Padfoot?"

Percy watched in awe as Harry communicated with the beautiful bird. It was as if the owl was much smarter than the typical bird. She nipped and nudged Harry as if answering each of his questions.

"Who is Padfoot?" asked Percy. Harry looked up at him from the letter he was reading.

"Padfoot is my godfather. He's...kind of wanted by the Ministry. They blame him for the murders of my parents."

Percy frowned. "Can't you just give them your testimony? You seem to trust this man."

"He's innocent," explained Harry, "but the Ministry doesn't listen to reason. They never even gave him a fair trial."

"How do you know he's not guilty then?"

"Because we found the real traitor," spat Harry. "But the rat got away."

Percy nodded. "I'm sorry. I'll help you in any way I can. I swear it on the Styx.

Harry's eyes widened as thunder boomed loudly overhead. Percy grinned.

"Still having trouble comprehending who I am?"

Harry nodded as he folded up the letter and put it in his pocket. As he reached to give Hedwig a treat he looked at Percy. "I believe you and everything it's just so much to take in."

Percy shrugged. "I understand that. It was a huge shock when I found out myself."

"How did you find out?"

Percy laughed and looked out the window. "We were on a class field trip when my math professor led me into a restricted hallway. She asked for me to give something back. I had no idea what she was talking about. Then she just transformed into this enormous monster with bat wings and tried to attack me."

Harry's eyes widened. "You're joking!"

"Nope!" said Percy with a grin. "Then Chiron, who was hiding as my teacher named Jack Brunner, rolled into the hallway and called out my name. When I looked at him, he threw a pen at me. The pen turned into a sword in my hand, and I used it to kill my math teacher. The rest, as they say, is history."

Harry blanched. "You killed your math teacher?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "After everything I just said, your first thought is me killing my math teacher?"

"Yeah! Wouldn't yours be?"

"I guess," Percy shrugged.

"Wait a minute," Harry's eyes widened. "Jack Brunner isn't your grandpa? Who is Chiron?"

This time it was Percy's turn for his eyes to widen. "I never told you did I? Jack isn't really my grandpa. He's...undercover...I guess you could say. His name is actually Chiron. He's a-well I'll just let him tell you who he really is."

Harry shook his head in disbelief and ran a finger through Hedwig's feathers. "You just keep getting weirder and weirder."

Percy let out a laugh. A real laugh. "You have no idea."

Harry grinned then looked up at the clock. "I guess I should be getting some rest. Head on over to the owlery, Hedwig." The bird nipped his finger affectionately before flying off.

Percy placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and eyed him seriously "Whenever you have these nightmares, just come down here. I don't sleep well either, and I think we can both use the company."

Harry nodded and looked up at his friend. "I appreciate it, Percy."

"Don't mention it. I know how haunting nightmares can be."

"Will you tell me about them?" asked Harry.

Percy shrugged. "Maybe someday. Not tonight."

Harry nodded and yawned. "Alright, well I'm going to head up. Night, Percy. Oh, wait! Can I tell Ron and Hermione about who you really are?"

Percy hesitated, "do you trust them?"

"With my life." In truth, he already had trusted them with his life-repeatedly. He considered sharing an example but ultimately decided to leave it for another time.

"Then sure. Ginny knows already so I guess two more couldn't really hurt." Harry made to question him, but Percy held out a hand. "Long story. I'll explain later. Go get some sleep."

Harry looked like he wanted to say something else but thought better of it. He waved goodnight to Percy and headed up to his dorm.

"Night, buddy," Percy watched his friend head on up to bed before turning back to the entrance. With all the students in bed it was the perfect time to work on his footwork.

««‡»»

Percy sighed in relief as Charms class finally finished. As interesting as it was learning about spells, Percy found that school was school regardless of the subject. He missed having a gym class. Apparently Hogwarts offered a class to teach students how to fly broomsticks, but it was only for first years. Plus, Percy wasn't comfortable being up in the air. He and Zeus didn't exactly see eye to eye.

"Percy you've got to come see this!" said Lee and the twins. Percy rolled his eyes but followed his friends over to where a large group of students surrounded an announcement poster.

"I can't see!" growled Ginny indignantly. Percy looked over at where the small redhead was trying in vain to push past the larger students to see the poster.

"Need a lift?" he asked. Ginny turned to look at him and grinned.

"Sure!"

Percy rolled his eyes but knelt down so that Ginny could get on his shoulders. They had an interesting friendship, Percy pondered. She was fiery and could annoy him like no other, but at the same time she was kind and didn't treat him any differently due to his true nature. He didn't know what to make of her.

"Apparently classes are ending early next week!" said Ginny. Percy looked up at her.

"What for?"

"The two other schools competing in the tournament are gonna be arriving!"

"Umm Ilvermorny isn't competing are they?" It would be exceptionally difficult to keep up his charade if the school he supposedly transferred from was competing in the tournament.

Ginny patted his head. "Nope. It's Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."

"Where are they from?"

"France and Bulgaria," Ginny said. She felt Percy's shoulders sag in relief. Just as Percy didn't know what to make of her, neither could Ginny figure out what to make of Percy. She knew he wasn't completely human. He was apparently a demigod-the son of a Greek god, but he didn't act like it. Much like Harry, Percy was relatively quiet and didn't say much about himself. Ginny knew that had she not confronted Percy when he was mentally vulnerable, she probably would never have learned who he really was. Regardless, she was glad to have him as a friend. Her roommates were cautious around her after what happened in her first year, and Ron made sure that she wasn't always accepted in his friend group. Percy never pushed her away though she knew she could be very annoying. It also didn't hurt that Percy was very attractive. His quietness only furthered his appeal. He was strong and not just physically. He radiated leadership. He had a past, and Ginny was determined to figure out what it was.

"Cool beans," said Percy bringing her out of her musings. He hoisted her up over his head and placed her on the ground. Ginny couldn't help but admire the strength he casually showed.

"Percy!" yelled Harry as he and his two friends hurried over to him. "What's going on? We just finished class with Hagrid and Ch-Jack when we saw everyone over here."

Percy waved at the group. "Nothing much. Classes are gonna be cancelled the day before Halloween. Durmstrang and Batons are arriving then."

Ginny slapped his shoulder. "Durmstrang and Beauxbatons."

"Are those other magical schools?" asked Harry. Percy grinned. At least he wasn't the only clueless person.

"Honestly, Harry, don't you study other magical countries?" asked Hermione. Harry shrugged indifferently.

"I never needed to." Ron and Percy grinned at each other.

"Whatever let's just go inside and eat dinner," Hermione said with a huff. Percy looked around for Lee and the twins, but they already left. Probably to go over their experiments.

As the five of them headed up to the castle, Percy and Harry dropped back.

"Did you tell Hermione and Ron about me yet?" asked Percy. Harry shook his head.

"I was planning on telling them tonight."

Percy nodded. "Bring them to the unused classroom on the third floor just down the hall to the left of the Grand Staircase."

"Are you going to tell them?"

"I think I can explain it a bit better," Percy said with a cheeky grin. Harry grinned back and nodded. The trip up the castle was uneventful. Ginny and Hermione whispered conspiratorially-Percy was fairly sure he heard his name-while Ron and Harry talked about some guy named Crummy.

"I'll see you guys inside in just a minute," said Percy as they entered the castle. "I've got to go do something."

The Golden Trio nodded and promised to save him a seat. Percy waved goodbye to Ginny and turned to head down to the kitchens.

"Where are you going?" asked Ginny right behind him. Percy groaned silently.

"Are you following me?" he asked back. Ginny simply gave him a grin. "If you must know, I'm headed down to the kitchens."

"Why? You do realize that they serve the food upstairs don't you?"

"You're not going to drop it are you?" asked Percy as they reached the enormous painting hiding the entrance to the kitchens.

"Nope!"

Percy groaned-this time loudly-and reached up to tickle the pear. The fruit giggled and the portrait opened up revealing many house-elves hard at work making and preparing the food then vanishing it only for it to reappear above them in front of the students. A few of the elves turned to look at who had entered and smiled brightly at Percy.

"Master Jackson!" said one particularly high-spirited elf. "We have your plate all ready!"

"Thanks, Dobby," said Percy. Ginny looked at him confused.

"Your plate?" she asked. Percy nodded.

"I have to do something down here in the kitchens before I can go upstairs and eat with everyone else."

Ginny tried to ask another question, but Percy walked into the kitchen to where his plate was sitting on a table. A large oven burned beside the table, but Ginny couldn't tell what it was being used for. Percy picked up his plate and a knife before walking over to the oven. Ginny took a step forward to see what he was doing but gave him enough room so that she wasn't intruding on what appeared to be an intimate moment.

"For Poseidon," murmured Percy, scraping a portion of his meal into the fire. The fire burned brilliantly for a moment before dying down. Ginny couldn't hear what name he said, but she knew what he was doing.

"Was that an offering?" she asked. Percy handed his plate and knife to Dobby who smiled brightly up at him and disappeared with a pop. Percy turned towards Ginny and nodded.

"The gods deserve offerings. We demigods are really the only ones that offer anything anymore," he explained. Ginny eyed him for a moment before walking over to where a few elves were preparing last minute dishes. A minute later she returned with a plate and knife of her own. Percy watched her carefully as she walked over to the oven.

"Who did you offer to?" she asked quietly.

Percy was too stunned by her actions to think that he should probably conceal his parentage. It was one thing to know he was a demigod. It was another thing entirely to know who his parent was. Nevertheless, when Ginny asked him, Percy whispered, "Poseidon."

Ginny, without a hesitation, cut a portion of her plate and scraped it into the fire. "For Poseidon." The fire exploded with blinding light. Even at this distance, Percy could feel the Black Lake churning with power. Ginny looked all around her, feeling the power in the air. She looked at Percy with wide eyes. "What just happened?"

Percy couldn't speak, his voice caught in his throat. Suddenly, his ring began to glow brightly and warmed up on his hand. Ginny gasped and took a step back. Percy held his hand out, and the two of them watched in stunned awe as water poured out encompassing the two students. More water came from the ring and circled around the two of them before it formed itself into a figure. The figure was clearly a powerful man. He stood much taller than Percy, and on his head rested a crown. Ginny gasped once more though she did not take another step back. Percy, however, recognized the figure and immediately dropped down to his knees in reverence. Ginny watched Percy and, after a brief moment, knelt down as well.

"Father," said Percy not daring to look up. "I did not wish to disturb you." Ginny felt the air rush from her lungs. _This must be Poseidon_ , she thought, _and he's Percy's father!_

"Stand up, son," said the watery Poseidon. "You have done no wrong."

Percy stood up cautiously, but Ginny remained where she was.

"Why are you here then?" asked Percy. Poseidon looked around until his eyes fell on the kneeling redhead.

"I came because of her."

Even though he knew his father was not unnecessarily cruel, Percy could not fight his instinct. He placed himself between Ginny and Poseidon. The god of Atlantis eyed him for a moment before laughing. It was an odd sight seeing the water ripple in his laughter. Percy did not move from where he stood, and Ginny-known to be fiercely independent and indignant towards people that treated her as vulnerable-felt strangely comforted by Percy's protection.

"Relax, Perseus! I did not come to harm her!" laughed Poseidon. "Your friend provided me an offering, and a powerful offering at that."

"What makes her offering so powerful?" asked Percy. Ginny hesitantly rose to her feet though she didn't move from her spot behind Percy.

"She is a powerful woman," Poseidon explained. "Especially for a legacy of Hecate."

"You know about Hecate's legacies?"

"Of course I do! There is very, very little that is hidden from Olympus or Atlantis or the Underworld."

Percy inwardly chastised himself. Of course the gods would know about the magical world. "What do you want with Ginny?"

Poseidon looked at Ginny over Percy's shoulder. "I simply came to see for myself and to thank her for the offering. It has been far too long since I have been praised by a mortal. I expect great things from you, Ginny."

Ginny cautiously stepped beside Percy and bowed her head-still too stunned to speak to the god. Poseidon laughed once more and placed a watery hand on Percy's shoulder.

"I know why you have come here, my son. Hestia has spoken great lengths of your selflessness. I am so proud of you as is Tyson. Even Zeus has found it hard to criticize you. If you need anything, you know where to find me." As quick has he came, Poseidon and the water returned to Percy's ring leaving Percy and Ginny standing in the middle of a kitchen that continued on as though nothing had occured.

"Would you like me to send this up for you, Ms. Ginny?" asked a house elf. Ginny looked down and nodded slowly. The house elf snapped her fingers and the plate of food disappeared.

Ginny looked over at Percy who stood rooted in place staring at the spot where his father had been. She walked up to him and elbowed him goodnaturedly in the arm. "So the son of Poseidon, huh?"

Percy looked down at her and gave her a weak smile. "Do you even know who Poseidon is?"

Ginny shrugged. "I'm guessing he's some water god. Am I wrong?"

"No you're not wrong," laughed Percy. He was glad that it wasn't awkward. He honestly hadn't been sure how to react after his father had appeared. It seemed as though that was becoming a habit-him not knowing what to say. He made a vow to fix that. If he was supposed to help these people then he couldn't be hindered by lack of speech. He motioned for Ginny to follow him. "Come on let's go eat."

They headed upstairs. All the while Percy pondered what his father had said. He knew Rachel had given offerings to the gods before, yet her offerings never sparked such power. There truly must have been something special in Ginny Weasley if Poseidon personally appeared. At the same moment, Ginny was finally realizing just how honest Percy had been with her. Sure, she accepted that he wasn't fully human, but acknowledging him as being a demigod was something much harder. Now that Poseidon had personally arrived-and through Percy's ring no less-Ginny really didn't have a reason not to believe Percy's claims. All that was left was figuring out just who this Poseidon god was.

When they entered the Great Hall, Harry waved them over. Percy sat down beside Ron while Ginny took the seat on his other side. Hermione eyed the two of them and gave Ginny a knowing grin, but Percy ignored them both.

"Have you talked with them yet, Harry?" he asked. Harry shook his head.

"Talked to who about what?" asked Ron through a mouthful of mashed potatoes.

Percy looked around. There were too many people around. "Harry will let you guys know after dinner." He quickly ate the food on his plate before standing up from the table. "I need to get going. I'll see you all soon." With a wink and a wave, Percy left the Great Hall.

When Harry and Ron got into a conversation about Viktor Krum, Hermione leaned across the table to Ginny. "You two weren't in a broom cupboard were you? You know that's against the rules."

Ginny blushed the same color as her hair and glared at Hermione. "No we weren't. We went down to the kitchens because he had to do something first. I was just curious. Were you and Ron in a cupboard?"

Hermione blanched and snapped her head towards Ron who, thankfully, was still talking to Harry about Krum. "You're evil."

"Don't give if you can't take," Ginny replied with a cheeky grin.

««‡»»

"What's all of this about, Percy?" asked Hermione as she and Ron entered the unused classroom.

"Let's wait until Harry gets here and then we can get started," Percy said. They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Harry arrived panting heavily. "What did you do? Run all the way here?"

Harry gasped for air and took a seat beside Percy. "I was...up at the...owlery...letter from...Padfoot."

Hermione and Ron exchanged alarmed looks that Harry would bring up Padfoot in front of Percy, but when Percy simply nodded and patted Harry on the back they relaxed a little.

"Okay, now that he's here," said Percy, "we can get started. The reason I asked to meet you all tonight is because I want to let you both in on my true reason for being here at Hogwarts." He motioned for Harry to get it started.

"Do you guys remember my dream from the summer?" asked Harry. They nodded. "Well Dumbledore said that my dream was a confirmation that Voldemort is coming back." They both gasped. "Percy is here to help prepare us for his return."

They looked at Percy, and Hermione said, "why you?"

Percy grinned. "That's the true reason for why I asked you two to come. What I tell you here tonight cannot leave this room. Only a few people at Hogwarts know this, and if it is made common knowledge it could jeopardize everything." He looked at them seriously before his eyes locked on Hermione. "The Greek gods are real."

Ron, naturally, looked confused, but Hermione only looked at Percy with disdain.

"You cannot seriously believe that we would fall for that," she said.

"He's telling the truth, Mione," said Harry. "Dumbledore is the one that brought him here."

Hermione looked at Percy analytically. "Okay, so assuming the Greek gods are real, how does that apply to you? Are you one of these gods?"

Percy laughed. "Hades no. I'm not a god. I'm a demigod."

"A demigod?" asked Ron. "What's that?"

"A demigod is said to be the child of a god and a mortal," explained Hermione. "They're said to be great heroes. But they're all myths. They're not real."

"Really?" asked Percy. "You can believe that magic exists but not the Greek gods?"

"If they are real then why haven't they revealed themselves?" asked Hermione. "They are supposedly quite arrogant. Wouldn't they want everyone to know them and worship them?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know their reasons why, but I can assure you that they are real. Magic itself comes from Hecate, the goddess of magic."

"So what? We're all demigods?" Hermione pressed on.

"No. You're all legacies. You're the descendants of Hecate. You have no godly blood in you, but magic isn't hindered by blood. A fifth generation legacy can be just as powerful as a demigod of Hecate."

"So are you claiming that you're a demigod of Hecate?"

"No." Percy was truly getting tired of having to explain all of this. "I'm the son of a different Greek god."

"Which one?" asked Hermione. Even Harry perked up having never learned this information.

"That's not important right now," said Percy. "What matters is that I have experience dealing with evil people attempting to take over the world. I realize that this all sounds crazy and ridiculous, but if you don't believe me you can ask Dumbledore or McGonagall. They both know."

Hermione's eyes widened. "Professor McGonagall knows and she believes you?"

Percy nodded. "The only reason I can use magic is because Hecate herself blessed me. McGonagall has been training me in magic since the end of August so that I would be able to handle classes."

"I-I need time to take it all in," said Hermione. "I'm going to get some rest. I'm sorry, Percy, I want to believe you, but this is just too much."

Percy nodded. "I understand. My only request is that you do not mention anything about this to anybody."

"Even to Ginny?" asked Hermione with a cheeky grin. Ron cocked his head at that.

Percy rolled his eyes. "You can talk to her, I guess. She found out a while ago."

"How?" asked Ron.

"I was rather...vulnerable...when she confronted me about something she overheard between me and Snape."

"So Professor Snape knows?" asked Hermione. "Who all knows?"

"You three, Dumbledore, Jack Brunner, McGonagall, Snape, and Ginny," said Percy. Hermione nodded and stood up.

"I'm going to head back to the dorm and get some rest. I promise not to say anything to anybody else, Percy," she said. Percy smiled and thanked her. When she was out of the room, he turned to Ron.

"What do you think, buddy?"

Ron shrugged. "If Harry, Dumbledore, and McGonagall all trust you then I do too."

Percy grinned brightly. "I appreciate it."

Ron grinned back. "So do you have any special demigod powers?" Harry grinned and looked at Percy expectantly. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Nothing I'm going to show you all tonight," he said. They groaned but stood up when Percy got up and walked to the door. "Let's get some rest. Classes are gonna be busy as the professors prepare for the other schools to arrive."

"So what are your intentions with my sister?" asked Ron as they walked out of the classroom. Percy groaned and shook his head. Ron and Harry grinned at each other. Ron, if he was honest with himself, was rather shocked that he didn't feel any anger towards Percy for spending time with his sister. He knew that he could get quite jealous at times, but he had seen just how much Percy had brought his sister out of the shell she had developed since her first year. Whether Ginny wanted to just be friends with Percy or more than that, Ron wouldn't stand in their way. That didn't mean he wouldn't take the mickey out of Percy along the way. He was an older brother after all.

««‡»»

The week before the other schools arrived was outrageously stressful. For the professor at least. The students had a terrific week. Because they were so busy preparing the decorations and future lesson plans, the professors did not hand out nearly as much homework as they normally would. The only student stressing out was Hermione. It had taken her a few days, but eventually she confronted Percy to inform him that she believed him; however, she also told him it would be some time before she trusted him. Percy simply smiled at her and thanked her for believing him. He knew that the reason she finally believed him was because she had spoken to McGonagall. McGonagall had informed Percy about her meeting with Hermione just to make sure that Percy's secret had not been compromised.

Ginny had also helped Hermione come to believe in Percy. Ginny had explained to Hermione what had transpired in the kitchens, and together they had spent hours in the library researching the Greek myths and Poseidon in particular. They had also gone down to visit Jack Brunner who Hermione was shocked to learn was actually Chiron-the legendary centaur demigod trainer. Chiron had given them a little more information about the Greek myths-particularly the recent history. He gave them a brief rundown about the last five years from the moment Luke Castellan had stolen Zeus' lightning bolt to the past summer when Kronos had launched an attack on Olympus. To say the girls were shocked would be an understatement. However, Chiron never mentioned what Percy's role was in the war. He had said that they would need to ask Percy themselves.

Ron and Harry had been persistent in asking Percy what his demigod powers were especially after Hermione and Ginny had informed them who Percy's father was. Eventually, Percy gave in and showed them one power he had. Really, it was more of a curse but the four thought it was incredible.

"You really have the Achilles curse?" asked Hermione excitedly. They were all outside on the far side of the lake away from prying eyes. Percy nodded.

"Yes, but before you ask, no I cannot die by you hitting my heel. The vulnerable spot differs for each person," he explained.

"So if you are hurt in your vulnerable spot what happens?" asked Ginny.

"I die."

The four grew quiet. It was a strange thought to them that the slightest injury could be fatal to their new friend. Ginny in particular could not bear the thought of Percy being killed.

"Don't worry though," Percy said with a smile. "I made it through a war without being killed, so there's nothing to worry about." They remained quiet for a moment. Ginny reached out and placed a hand on Percy's arm. Percy looked at her confused before he realized that all four of them were looking at him sadly as though he were dying. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." began Harry.

"We can't believe that you had to go through a real war," finished Ron. "I mean we've had our adventures the last few years, but you went through hell."

Percy nodded but didn't say anything. Remembering the war brought back terrible memories. The five of them sat in silence for a while listening to the waves on the lake and the chirping of birds in the trees. Eventually Harry stood up and transfigured a broken stick into a sharp pointed object.

"Alright, I want to see this curse in action," he said with a grin. "On your impenetrable skin of course."

Percy rolled his eyes but gave in when the rest began chanting for him to show them. He got up and grabbed the weapon from Harry. They looked at him with bated breath as Percy stabbed the makeshift dagger violently into his chest. Despite knowing that his skin wouldn't break, Hermione and Ginny still shrieked as did the boys. Percy dropped the dagger and pulled up his shirt to show them he was uninjured. Both girls swooned quietly at the sight of his toned chest and abs while the boys could not help but feel inadequate. Percy made a note to help train Ron and Harry into shape if they were interested in it.

"See?" Percy said putting his shirt back down. "Completely unharmed."

"That's amazing!" cried out Ron. "I wish I had that!"

Percy shook his head. "It's called a curse for a reason. I burn through energy really quickly so I'm constantly eating and sleeping."

Hermione made to ask him a question when they heard a loud commotion coming from the other side of the lake. She looked over. "What's going on?"

"I guess the other schools are here," said Ginny. The five of them got up and made their way along the lake to where nearly all of the Hogwarts student body stood in eager anticipation. Ginny looked up at Percy expectantly to which he huffed and hoisted her up on his shoulders. "Look!" she pointed up at the sky. Percy and the others all looked up to see a strange object descending towards them. Several students called out ridiculous ideas as to what it was, but to Percy it looked like a carriage. He was proven correct a few moments later when the carriage landed in front of them.

Four enormous horses led the carriage and when the doors opened, a giant of a woman stepped out. Percy had seen enough of them to see that the woman had giant blood in her; however, nobody seemed alarmed. In fact, Dumbledore himself walked up to her and kissed her cheek in greeting just as a group of students walked out of the carriage.

It was a very cold day, and so the Hogwarts students were all bundled up warmly. These students, though, wore thin cloaks and looked positively freezing.

"They're from Beauxbatons," said Ginny from up above. Percy just nodded.

"They're from France right?" asked Harry. Hermione nodded and began informing them about Beauxbatons. Percy looked up and rolled his eyes towards Ginny who giggled. Just then Ginny gasped and pointed at the lake. The students began whispering excitedly as the mast of a large ship emerged from the water. Percy blanched. He had never seen that happen before. Perhaps the lake was just as magical as the castle.

"And that would be Durmstrang," said Ron excitedly. "I bet Krum is on that ship." This time Percy and Harry made eye contact and rolled their eyes. If they didn't know any better they would say Ron had a man crush on Viktor Krum—or Crummy as Percy liked to call him.

Percy couldn't hear what Dumbledore said as the entourage from Bulgaria disembarked from the ship. A moment later Dumbledore was leading both groups back into the castle. Percy and the others followed suit with Ginny still up on his shoulders.

"I can walk you know," she huffed indignantly.

Percy nodded. "Yes I know." The others laughed at Ginny's plight though Hermione could see a slight blush on the redhead's face. Hermione looked at the two of them and realized, not for the first time, just how well they worked together. They certainly were two very different people. Where Percy was quiet, Ginny was outgoing. Where Percy was cautious, Ginny was ambitious. Nevertheless, they grounded each other in reality. The only question Hermione had was when would the two figure it out. For the meantime, though, she would be content just letting them explore their friendship.

Inside the Great Hall, the five of them sat together by the twins and Lee waiting for the delegates from the other schools to find their seats. The Durmstrang students-which Ron was very excited to see that Krum was included-naturally sat at the Slytherin table while the Beauxbatons students sat with Ravenclaw. Hermione continued to chat excitedly to anyone that would listen the entire history of the Triwizard Tournament. Percy was actually rather impressed. It sounded quite similar to some of the games they used to play at camp. That thought was enough to sour his mood.

"You alright?" whispered Ginny from beside him. Percy shrugged.

"Just bad memories," he whispered back. Ginny looked at him with understanding and didn't press the issue.

"Good evening everyone!" called out Dumbledore drawing the attention of the entire hall. "I would like to extend a hearty welcome to our delegates from France and Bulgaria!" The hall erupted in applause. "And to welcome you all, Hogwarts let us sing the school song! Ready? Begin!"

Percy looked at the delegates from the other schools and felt a kinship with them. He was utterly horrified by what was taking place in the hall. Every student from Hogwarts was singing the strangest song he had ever heard, and to make things worse, they were all singing in different pitches and styles. The twins were the worst singing the song as a funeral march, but Harry and Ron were just as bad singing the song as badly as they possibly could.

"...Just do your best, we'll do the rest! And learn until our brains all rot!"

Percy sighed with relief when the song was over.

"Wonderful!" continued Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "Now before we eat, I would like to introduce the heads of our guest schools. From Beauxbatons we have the lovely Madame Maxime." The giant lady bowed from her seat beside Hagrid. Percy noted that Hagrid looked quite flustered. On Hagrid's other side, Chiron sat looking quite bored. "And from Durmstrang, Headmaster Igor Karkaroff!"

"He looks like he's terrified of Moody," noted Ron as the hall applauded. Percy and Harry looked over and noted that Karkaroff did indeed look quite uncomfortable being seated between Snape and Moody. Just then the doors to the hall swung open and two men strode in. "Blimey that's Ludo Bagman! He's the head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports!"

"And that's Barty Crouch," continued Ginny pointing at the man with a Hitler mustache. "He's Percy's boss."

"Percy?" asked Percy confused.

Ginny's mouth formed an 'o' as she realized that Percy wouldn't know who she was talking about. "Percy is our older brother. He's been fighting a lot with our parents about work. They say he's spending too much time at work and not with the family."

Percy nodded. "Interesting fellow then."

"Let me introduce you all to Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch," said Dumbledore. "They are the ones in charge of the tournament." The hall applauded much to Bagman's pleasure. Crouch looked irritated having to be surrounded by so many minors.

"Thank you, Dumbledore," said Bagman taking center stage. "We are so happy to be here and hosting the tournament! Welcome Beauxbatons and Durmstrang to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, we are so glad to have you. Now I would like to say a few things about the tournament before we begin what looks to be a lovely feast. The reason we are able to host the tournament this year is because we are limiting it to students that are seventeen at the time they enter."

There was a loud commotion as many sixth year students that were just a few days or months from turning seventeen began arguing loudly. Dumbledore took back his place and held up a hand. "We understand your frustration, but this decision is final. To ensure that the rule is kept, I personally will be drawing an age line around the goblet to prevent students from using magic to enter."

The twins groaned much to Percy's confusion. He leaned over to Harry. "What's an age line?"

Harry shrugged but Hermione leaned over to them. "An age line prevents people from using magical potions that make you older. If Dumbledore is drawing the line then nobody will be able to slip by."

"Yes, yes," continued Bagman. "One last thing before we dig in. The goblet will be in the Entrance Hall, and in order to enter, seventeen year old students must write their name on a slip of paper and drop it in the fire. Tomorrow night after dinner we will bring the goblet in here, and it will select a single champion from each school."

"Thank you, Ludo," said Dumbledore. "Now, please enjoy the feast!"

Food appeared on the tables, and Percy swore. He slipped out from his seat and patted Harry on the shoulder. "I'll be right back. I need to do something before I can eat."

Ginny looked like she wanted to come with him, but Percy shook his head.

"You can join me tomorrow. Don't need to draw any attention."

They all watched Percy walk out of the hall. Ginny frowned as she watched him leave. He definitely had a much darker history than he let on, and she was quite sure it had something to do with the war that Chiron had talked about. She looked back at the table where the other three were watching Percy leave.

"There's a lot more he's not telling us," she said. Hermione nodded.

"Chiron told us about a war, but wouldn't tell us what Percy did in it."

"Dumbledore said that Percy faced the impossible and succeeded," said Harry. "I wonder what happened?"

"I guess we'll just have to figure it out now won't we?" said Hermione. It wasn't a question so much as a statement. The others all nodded. They would find out what Percy wasn't telling them. They just weren't sure how.

 **A/N: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Next one will be the awaited champion selection. Let me know what you guys think of the story so far in the reviews (NO FLAMES. Only constructive criticism.). Huge thanks to Ensis96 who has joined in on my beta team along with the always awesome Distorted-me.**

 **Thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed! You guys are why I continue to write this story. Till next time!**

 **Disclaimer: the Hogwarts song belongs to J.K. Rowling.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Warning: This chapter has some fairly dark scenes.**

Percy crept down the poorly lit hallway of his dream. At the far end was a heavy door slightly ajar. Light poured out from the crack in the door, and Percy could faintly make out three voices arguing. Minutes went by before he reached the door and peeked inside. Hecate and Hestia were arguing with one another, and behind them stood Dumbledore murmuring his opinions.

"There has to be another way," implored Hestia. "We have come so far, we can't just end it like this."

Hecate shook her head. "I've tried, Hestia. I've tried to come up with another plan, but there is nothing I can do."

Hestia's shoulders slumped, and Percy felt a cold chill rush through him. "When will you tell him?"

"I'll tell him later today," said Dumbledore. "It's better for him to know sooner than later."

Hestia nodded but continued to look like she was going to cry. _What's going on?_ Percy wondered with increasing dread.

"You're sure there is no other way?" Hestia asked one last time.

"I'm sure," Hecate said. "If Harry is to fight Voldemort and complete his prophecy, then it is imperative that he does not compete in the tournament. Unfortunately, his name has been entered already," She shot a glare at Dumbledore, "and Albus believes quite firmly that the Cup has been cursed to give Harry's name."

"So how does Percy come into this?" asked Hestia.

"There is an ancient rule that another student that proves themselves worthy may take the place of a champion. They do, however, need to be approved by the three headmasters. Thankfully, since Percy is technically not originally from Hogwarts, the other two headmasters should not feel threatened by his addition to the tournament."

"Percy could die in this tournament," Hestia said. "You realize that right?"

Hecate nodded. "I know, but the lives of my legacies must always come first. If Voldemort is to be stopped, then Percy must take Harry's place. Even if that means his death." Hecate paused and glanced at the door. "Someone is watching." She thrust her hand at the door, and Percy was forcefully woken up.

Hecate smirked triumphantly and looked back at Hestia. "You did well, Morpheus. You are a fabulous actor."

'Hestia' shimmered for a moment and then was replaced by a man dressed as though ready for bed. "You're very welcome. Now if you would excuse me, I have dreams to supervise."

Morpheus showed his true form and flashed out of the room.

"Is it really necessary to have him here?" asked Dumbledore.

"If it weren't for him, we would not have been able to bring Percy to me in his dreams. Plus, Percy would never have come to Hogwarts if it he didn't think Hestia supported the idea."

"What happens if he learns that Hestia was never actually here?"

"He'll be dead before that happens," Hecate said resolutely.

Dumbledore shook his head. "I don't understand that either. Why do you want Percy dead? Why place a compulsion charm on him at all?"

"He killed my children!" she snapped. "When I told him that my children died in the war, I wasn't lying. I just never told him that my children had sided with Kronos. My son died by Percy's hand, and I will not rest until Percy is dead. Sooner or later the compulsion charm will do its job, and Percy will reveal his mortal spot."

"Then why are you asking him to help Harry?" Dumbledore asked. "Is it just so that he will tell Harry his spot?"

"Do not question me, Thanatos!" snarled Hecate. "Or have you forgotten who is in control?" Hecate pulled out a long, white wand and held it in front of 'Dumbledore.'

Thanatos eyed the wand for a moment. "Fine. I won't ask again. I have to be going now. Breakfast should be served soon." The god of death made to leave the room when Hecate called out to him.

"Make sure Percy takes Harry's place," she growled. Thanatos nodded and left. Hecate let out a breath before cackling with laughter. With Death under her control, everything was finally coming together. Now all she had to do was wait for Percy to give in to the magic and reveal to one of his new friends the one spot that could kill him. She had thought about using Harry and his friends, but if Percy ever found out that they were working for her-which could easily happen with Ron being the way he was-he would most certainly turn his anger towards her. No, having Percy reveal everything himself was much more satisfying. So what if she had to use a little magic to nudge him along?

««‡»»

Percy gasped as he was practically ejected from his dream. Unlike his previous dream with Hecate, this time he had caught them unaware. He forced himself to sit up in bed and rubbed the gook that had accumulated in his eyes away. Today was October 31, Halloween, and following the evening feast, they would find out who the goblet had chosen to compete. It was supposed to be a surprise, but now Percy knew at least one selection: Harry Potter.

Before the school year had begun, Percy already knew that he was supposed to be coming to Hogwarts to help a certain student fulfill their destiny. He wasn't told how, only that there was a prophecy. Knowing now that Harry was the mission, Percy would do anything to help him through the prophecy. Even if he hadn't overheard Hecate, Hestia, and Dumbledore speaking, Percy would still take Harry's place in the tournament if his name came out. Not even his potential death troubled him. If anything, Percy was now much more determined to help Harry.

Percy stood up, grabbed some clean clothes, and went to shower. The water did the trick and helped him calm down and relax. Truth be told, he had sort of thought something like this would happen. There had to be a catch if Hecate was coming to Percy for help. The gods never asked for help without a catch. Percy finished his shower and put on his clothes. It was still very early in the morning, so he decided to head down to the lake to work on his footwork.

The castle was eerily quiet even for this time in the morning. Percy figured everyone was sleeping in after having stayed up so late placing their names in the goblet. He had found the Weasley twins' attempt especially amusing. They had gone to bed quite proud of their new beards and were coming up with plans to make some sort of potion to spike Snape's drink with to give him one as well. Percy chuckled quietly to himself as he made it to the abandoned classroom.

His movements were not fluid at all. There was too much on his mind to fully concentrate on keeping his feet in line. Percy would never admit it to anybody, but he had a rather embarrassing way he practiced his footwork: he danced. No one-not even Thalia-knew that Percy had been doing dance since he was young. At first it was just something his mom made him do so that he wouldn't be in the house with Gabe, but after he joined Camp, dancing really helped him improve his footwork. He knew he shouldn't be embarrassed about dancing, but he really wasn't looking forward to Thalia teasing him about it constantly.

Percy took a breath and tried to slow down his thoughts. He had two obligations that were conflicting with one another. The first was his duty to his promise. He couldn't back out of helping Harry because he had promised Hecate and Hestia. That meant he had to go through with entering this tournament that would most assuredly kill him considering his lack of skill with magic. Second was his duty as Harry's friend. Percy cared for Harry like a little brother, but he couldn't allow himself to continue getting close to Harry if he was going to die within the next several months. No, if Percy was to fulfill his promise then he could not allow himself to get close. He knew that Harry had lost his parents. He didn't want him to have to lose a friend as well.

With his mind made up, Percy found it even harder to concentrate on his footwork. He felt empty inside, as though the last remnants of his humanity had just been stripped away. Percy walked over to the window in the room and found a small piece of shattered glass. He picked it up and stabbed his arm with it. His skin didn't break. Percy sighed. He still had his connection to the mortal world.

When Percy had fallen into the River Styx, he had been told that he would have to find a connection to the mortal realm or else he would drown in the river. At first, he had just seen a few people like his mother or some friends from school, but then he saw all of his friends from camp. That's when he felt an enormous tug on his back. He was being yanked out of the river when all of a sudden the water parted. Percy still felt the tug on his back, but he wasn't moving.

"Perseus Jackson," had said a voice. Percy still couldn't believe that Styx herself had appeared to him. She said, "You have the strongest connection to the mortal plane I have ever seen. Never before has anyone had so many ties. Perhaps there is hope for us yet."

Percy had thought that was terrific. There was less of a chance of him losing the curse. But then the Battle for Manhattan had happened. Percy was so sure that he was going to lose his protection after his friends' deaths, but it turned out that those that survived like Thalia and Clarisse were enough to keep his protection intact. Percy sighed. Part of him just wanted to be done with this world and move on. Elysium sounded delightful.

The sun began sending its rays into the classroom, so Percy figured it was time to head down to the Great Hall for breakfast. As he was heading down the steps, he heard a commotion coming from one of the hallways. He cautiously made his way towards the source, his hand reaching into his pocket just in case he needed Riptide. As he got closer, he began to hear voices clearly.

"...you better do what I say or my father will hear about it!" said a kid a few years younger than Percy. He had platinum blonde hair and stood with such an arrogant stance that Percy wouldn't be surprised if he started shitting diamonds. What was even more disturbing was the fact that he was holding his wand on a group of first year students. Behind him, two goon-looking boys stood as though they were bodyguards. Percy shook his head. It looked like some strange kid version of an action movie.

"We-we were just headed to breakfast!" rasped out one of the first years. Percy noted that they were wearing Slytherin robes.

"I don't care," spat the blonde. "You better do what I say when I say it. I'm in charge of Slytherin, and you would do well to respect me."

"Picking on first year students?" said Percy, finally having had enough. "What did they ever do to you?"

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" said the blonde. "You don't know who you're talking to."

"Nope," agreed Percy. "But I know a bully when I see one." He glanced at the goons. "Or smell them."

"I think you'd best walk away, or I'll tell my father about this."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, no, I'm not going to walk away. Plus, I just told you I don't know you. How the Hades would I know who your father is?"

The blonde sneered. "I won't say it again. You better leave."

Percy turned to the first years. "You guys head on downstairs. I'll take care of this."

The first years scrambled to leave the hallway, and Percy found himself alone with the three Slytherin boys. He looked at each one carefully. As menacing as the two large boys tried to look, Percy could tell immediately that neither of them knew how to fight. The blonde would be the bigger threat. Percy wasn't sure he would be quick enough or skilled enough to use magic.

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone?" asked the boy. Percy shook his head.

"Nope. So, what's your name?"

"I'm Draco Malfoy you prick," the boy snapped. "You best remember that."

Percy shrugged. "I meet lots of people. I probably will forget your name in an hour." It wasn't true, but Draco didn't need to know that.

Draco pointed his wand at Percy and fired out a spell. Percy spun to his left just managing to dodge the spell. Draco growled and fired spell after spell. Percy cursed himself for leaving his wand in the pocket on the inside of his robes. He couldn't get to it easily, and he highly doubted Riptide would help him. He never noticed that Draco had backed him against the wall until his back hit the stones.

"Remember my name, you arse," smirked Draco, and he cast a spell on Percy that caused ropes to wrap around his entire body rendering him immobile. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I'll remember just fine, Malby."

"Malfoy!"

"Whatever."

Draco sneered once more and spun on his heels to leave. His goons laughed at Percy before following their leader down the hallway. Percy watched them leave, and when they were finally out of view he began working to remove the ropes. They were much tighter than he had expected them to be. He tried to get his hand into his pocket so he could cut his way out, but his hand was tied behind his back. He cursed and looked around for a sharp object to cut the rope on. He was just beginning to hop his way over to a particularly sharp looking rock when he heard two sets of steps from behind. He turned around to see a girl wearing Slytherin robes eyeing him with a small smile.

"Need some help?" she asked. She was absolutely stunning in Percy's opinion. She had dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes, but there was a distance there. Any other day Percy might have blushed and stumbled around in front of someone as beautiful as her, but this wasn't any other day. Percy simply shrugged.

"If you wouldn't mind."

She pulled out her wand and cast a spell at the ropes which fell to the ground. Percy rubbed his arms and nodded at her.

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"You're from America?" she asked.

"What gave it away?" asked Percy. "My rugged good looks or my accent?" Apparently news of him being at Hogwarts hadn't spread throughout the school. Too bad he was going to have to enter this tournament. He would rather be left alone to complete his tasks.

Daphne simply rolled her eyes at him. "That was pretty brave of you standing up to Malfoy like that." Her tone had a hint of sarcasm.

"Yeah well, somebody had to do something. Is he always like that?"

"Yes, he is," she said. Percy nodded. He figured as much. "I'm Daphne Greengrass."

Percy gave her a nod. "Nice to meet you. Thanks for the help." With that he turned away and headed down the hallway to the Great Hall.

Daphne stood alone in the hallway completely lost for words. She was so used to boys eyeing her up and down and flirting with her. She knew that boys found her to be very attractive, and she typically used it to her advantage, but never had she had a boy simply thank her and walk away. He hadn't even given her his name.

Daphne knew she shouldn't care at all, but she could already feel it creeping under her skin. She had to know just who this boy was. When she had approached him, he hadn't even reacted as though he were struggling. He didn't look panicked or fearful. He didn't even react to her with fear. He simply didn't care. Daphne didn't know anybody like that. Everyone feels trapped when they're caught unaware especially if they're tied up. Not this boy. Either he was unbelievably arrogant, or he just knew that he had nothing to fear. Normally, Daphne would assume the former, but there was something different about him. She vowed she would figure it out. She was naturally curious, and once she set her mind to something, not even Dumbledore could stop her. And she was very curious about him. No, it had nothing to do with how handsome he was, or how his eyes captivated her. No, it wasn't that at all.

"Daphne?" came a voice from behind. Daphne turned around with an idea forming.

"Hey Trace," said Daphne.

"You took off before I had a chance to notice you were gone," said Tracey. Tracey Davis was Daphne's best friend. She had been since they were babies. Tracey was a very pretty girl with brown hair and brown eyes. She had an hourglass figure, and she took great joy out of making boys blush. She was also terrific at finding out gossip. If anybody could help Daphne learn more about the mysterious boy it would be Tracey.

Daphne nodded and began leading Tracey down the hall towards the Great Hall. "Sorry, I saw Draco and his goons go after a group of first years. I went to try and help, but somebody beat me to it."

"Who?" asked Tracey curious.

Daphne waited till they reached the Great Hall and sat down at the Slytherin table. She looked over at the Gryffindor table and easily found Percy sitting alone. She subtly pointed at him.

Tracey paused. "The sixth year Gryffindor? The guy who just transferred here from America? The one all the girls are apparently gushing over?"

Daphne nodded though she hadn't known about the other girls 'gushing.' Tracey shrugged.

"I don't know much. His name is Percy Jackson. He spends time with Potter and his friends but not that much. He is rather quiet and keeps to himself a lot. Apparently he came here with Jack Brunner."

"The man in the wheelchair?"

"Yeah. He's Jackson's grandfather."

"Interesting," murmured Daphne.

"Why the sudden interest in him?" asked Tracey.

Daphne shook her head. "I'm not sure. He's the one that helped the first years from Draco. I found him all tied up and helped him out."

"Let me guess, he started drooling all over you?" asked Tracey knowingly. It wouldn't have been the first time Daphne had helped someone only for them to start drooling. She was shocked though when Daphne shook her head.

"No, he didn't," Daphne said. "He just thanked me and walked away. He didn't even introduce himself."

Tracey shrugged. "So, what? Why does it matter?"

"I just don't get it," groaned Daphne. "There's something...different...about him, and I just can't put my finger on it."

"Is the Ice Queen finally getting a crush on somebody?" asked Tracey with a wide smile. "Oh, how you're growing up!"

Daphne scowled. "It's not a crush. I just need to figure him out."

Tracey rolled her eyes but smiled brightly. Daphne was most definitely crushing on Jackson, and she was going to do whatever it took to get them together. First, though she had to help her best friend out and figure out the enigma that was Percy Jackson.

««‡»»

Harry watched as Percy left the Great Hall. There was most definitely something off with him. He wasn't his sarcastic self. He looked over at the others who all shrugged. They too noticed something was off.

"There's something wrong with Percy," he said out loud. "What do you think it is?"

Hermione shrugged. "Maybe he is just tired?"

"Maybe," said Harry unsure.

"We should talk with Chiron," said Ginny. "If anyone is going to know what's up with Percy it would be him."

"Do you think he'll talk to us?" asked Hermione. "Chiron told us that we would have to wait until Percy told us himself."

"With how out of it Percy is, I'm sure Chiron would be willing to give us some more information," Harry said. The others nodded. It was the best idea they had. They finished breakfast and agreed to go down to Hagrid's hut to meet with Chiron. They would have gone down earlier, but Ron continued to eat and eat until the plates disappeared. By that time it was already 10:30 in the morning.

They headed down to Chiron all the while teasing Ron about his appetite. Ron rolled his eyes and took it all in stride. Harry noticed that Ron had grown more mature this year. At least, much more than he had been the previous year. Thinking carefully about it, he realized he had grown more mature as well. Perhaps Percy had made them all grow up more. It made sense, Percy came because things were about to get really bad. That was enough to mature anybody.

When they reached Chiron's room, they knocked on the door. Not even a minute later Chiron opened the door. He looked surprised for a moment but welcomed them inside.

"What can I do for you four?" he asked as they sat down on the only couch in the room.

"There's something wrong with Percy," said Harry being quite straightforward. "We were hoping you could tell us more about him. We want to help him, but we don't know almost anything about him."

Chiron eyed them all. "Wrong how?"

"He's normally sarcastic," said Ginny, "but today he barely talked to us. He sat alone at breakfast, and when we tried to sit with him, he got up and left. We haven't seen him since."

Chiron scratched at his beard. "How was he last night?"

"He was fine," said Ron. "Why does that matter?"

"Demigod dreams," said Harry, his eyes widening. Chiron looked surprised that Harry knew about them but nodded all the same.  
"It certainly makes sense. Wouldn't be the first time Percy received one that completely changed things."

"What's a demigod dream?" asked Ginny. Hermione and Ron nodded too, wanting to know.

"A demigod dream is where a demigod finds themselves watching other people in real time. It's much more complicated than that though, I just don't know how to explain it well," said Chiron. "Percy had a demigod dream several years ago of his friend Nico about to do something very stupid. It let him go and save his friend before he could go through with it."

"So you think Percy had one of these dreams last night?" asked Hermione.

Chiron nodded. "I do. Although what it was about, I can't even begin to venture a guess."

"Can you tell us more about Percy?" asked Harry. "Please, we really just want to help him."

Chiron eyed them all again carefully. "Percy seems to trust you all." It wasn't a question, more of a statement. "You cannot reveal any of this to anybody alright?"

The four nodded, and Chiron began to tell them everything. He told them about how he had been Percy's teacher when he was twelve. He told them about how Percy had discovered he was a demigod when his math teacher turned out to be a Fury. The four of them gasped when they heard about Percy stabbing his teacher. Chiron told them about how Percy had killed the Minotaur to reach Camp Half-Blood. He told them about how Percy's mom was kidnapped by Hades because Zeus thought that Percy had stolen his lightning bolt, how he had to find his way into the Underworld to rescue his mother with Annabeth and his friend Grover. He told them about how Luke Castellan had turned out to be a traitor and had tried to kill Percy. He told them about how Percy managed to return the lightning bolt to Zeus just in time.

"Bloody hell," muttered Ron. Hermione was too stunned by the story to berate him. Harry couldn't imagine what Percy had gone through.

"That was just when he was twelve," said Chiron. The Golden Trio were completely shocked. Percy's story completely blew their experience first year out of the water. Then Chiron continued. He told them about Percy learning that his friend Grover was being held hostage by an evil cyclops, how the tree that protected Camp Half-Blood had been poisoned. He told them about how Percy had gone on a quest to rescue Grover from the Sea of Monsters and to recover the Golden Fleece, how Percy managed to find it and fought the Hydra. He told them how the tree was actually Zeus' daughter, Thalia, though he didn't explain that story. The four continued to sit in silence. Compared to the Hydra, the basilisk Harry had faced did not seem so terrible.

"Now when Percy was fourteen...," Chiron continued. He told them about how Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth had gone to a school to find two powerful demigods, Nico and Bianca. He told them about how they ran into the Hunters of Artemis. He told them about how Percy snuck onto the quest to find Artemis who had gone missing, how he managed to defeat the Nemean Lion but sacrificed the pelt to his father, how Bianca was killed on the way, how they had reached Mount Othrys-the Titan's rival to Olympus. He explained how Percy had literally taken the weight of the sky from Artemis and held Atlas' curse for a few minutes before Atlas was returned to his place. He explained how one of the hunters had been killed, and how Percy blamed himself for hers and Bianca's deaths.

"He held the sky?" whispered Ron. Chiron nodded. The four could not image that at all. How could anybody, let alone a fourteen-year-old, manage to hold up the sky?

"Who is his father?" asked Hermione. Chiron shook his head.

"That's not for me to say. I'm doing enough just telling you all of this. Now for when Percy was fifteen..." He explained how Percy discovered that Nico was attempting to bring his sister, Bianca, back from the dead. He explained how Percy and Annabeth had discovered an entrance to the Labyrinth in the Camp, how Percy, Annabeth, Grover, and Percy's new half-brother, Tyson, went into the Labyrinth, how they ran into Nico who was still furious with Percy about Bianca's death, how they then ran into Hephaestus who sent them to Mt. St. Helens. He explained how Percy had destroyed a forge run by monsters to try and create Kronos' weapon, but how Percy was caught in the volcano's eruption, how Percy found himself on Calypso's island but chose to return to camp rather than stay with her. He explained the major battle when Luke brought monsters through the Labyrinth into the camp, and how Nico revealed himself to be the son of Hades, how Nico forgave Percy.

"I remember that eruption," whispered Hermione. "My parents talked about it a lot. I-I can't believe that Percy was in there."

Chiron nodded solemnly. "We all thought he had died. We even had a funeral for him. Now, I have saved the hardest year for last. When Percy was sixteen..." he explained everything. He explained how he and a boy named Charlie had gone on a mission, but only Percy returned. He explained how Percy had gone to the River Styx to receive the Achilles Curse so that he could fight Kronos. He explained how the Titans had marched on Olympus, and how Percy led the fight against them. He explained how Percy fought against Kronos himself, not knowing that his friends were being killed around him, how when Percy finally managed to defeat Kronos, he found his friends dead. Chiron sighed as he told them that Percy to this day continued to hold himself responsible for all their deaths. He explained how the Olympians had offered to make Percy a god, but that he refused and instead asked them to make changes to how they treated their children so that no other demigod would feel abandoned like Luke.

"They offered to make him a god?" asked Ginny. "And he refused?"

"Why would he do that?" asked Ron completely baffled.

"That's Percy for you," said Chiron. "He didn't want to live immortally in a world without his friends." Then something clicked in his mind. "That must be what's wrong. Percy is probably finding it extremely hard to be without them. He never really had a chance to let out all of his grief."

The four stayed with Chiron a little longer, but they really had nothing to say-they were all far too stunned by everything they had learned. They returned to the castle having completely missed lunch. It was already late in the afternoon, and dinner would be served soon, so they headed to the Great Hall.

They walked into the Great Hall solemnly. Percy was nowhere to be found, so they decided to sit in the middle of Gryffindor table and left a seat open in case their friend returned. Chiron and the other professors arrived for dinner, and pretty soon the Hall was filled with students chattering eagerly about the upcoming selection of the champions. They decided to eat without Percy when dinner was served, and when Dumbledore stood up beside the Goblet of Fire, they figured Percy just wouldn't show up. Harry shook his head to try and concentrate on what Dumbledore was saying, but it was hard.

"Representing Durmstrang is..."

««‡»»

It was turning into a very strange day for Percy. After the run in with Malfoy and then Daphne, Percy hadn't thought it could get any stranger, but then he had to deal with the stares. When he had arrived in the Great Hall, he had chosen to sit alone rather than have to converse with anybody. Unfortunately, Harry and his friends had come down late and so they sat down with Percy. It was rather uncomfortable for him. They talked and chatted about random things, but throughout breakfast they kept throwing Percy glances. He knew they were trying to figure something out, but he was not at all sure what it was. Then came the stares from the Slytherin table.

Sitting directly across from him at the Slytherin table was Malfoy who continued to glare at him throughout the meal. Percy ignored him, but the looks made him uncomfortable. He tried looking around the room, but that was when he noticed Daphne and another girl staring at him from further down the Slytherin table. The other girl was whispering something into Daphne's ear causing the girl to blush and smack her friend. Percy rolled his eyes at the unwanted attention. Sure, Daphne was very attractive, but Percy didn't come to Hogwarts to flirt.

"Percy, are you okay?" asked Ginny from across the table. Percy nodded. He knew he had to tell Ginny that he was not looking to get involved with anybody, but he figured that if he pushed them all away, Ginny would take the hint.

"I'm fine thanks. I'm gonna head down to the lake. See you all later."

Percy left the Great Hall as quickly as he could and headed down to the lake. Even though it was Friday, classes were cancelled due to the selection of the champions that evening. Percy wasn't sure why they were all still wearing robes, but he guessed the staff didn't want to look sloppy in front of the guests.

He made his way around to the other side of the lake noticing that there were several other students walking around the lake as well. Percy glanced around and then ducked into the Forbidden Forest for some privacy. He made sure to cover his tracks well as he did not want another student walking in on him speaking with someone. Finding the coast to be clear, Percy made a mist from his ring, fished out a drachma from his pocket, and tossed it in.

"Show me Thalia Grace," he said. The mist swirled before showing him the image of his cousin sitting down and eating what looked to be a deer leg. Percy wanted to call out to her, but he couldn't form the words. His stomach twisted painfully at the sight of his friend. He couldn't bring her into this. Instead, he wiped his hand through the mist but not before Thalia glanced up in time to see Percy's haunted eyes.

Everything hurt. It wasn't physical. Well, part of it was, but what hurt more than anything was his heart. He had tried so hard to push everything to the side when he came over from New York, but hearing Hecate and Hestia in his dream had been enough to bring everything back. Thinking of the tournament only reminded Percy of the many games they played at camp. Thinking of the games only reminded Percy of his friends. He still had nightmares every night. He dreamed of Nico's lifeless body. He dreamed of Annabeth's lifeless eyes. He dreamed of Selina, of Charlie, of Castor and Pollux, of Katie, of Michael, of Lee. He dreamed every night of his lost friends.

 _Percy,_ came a voice in his mind. Percy furrowed his brow and pulled at the hair on his head.

 _Not now, Grover._

 _I think now is a good time. I feel what you feel remember?_

 _I remember. I just need to be left alone._

 _Percy, you have a place here. We still need you on Earth. You can't give in._

Percy stood up. "Leave me alone, Grover."

 _I'll always be here, Percy. I love you, man._

Tears streamed down Percy's face which he brushed away furiously. He felt the empathy link between him and Grover close, and Percy felt more alone than ever. He stumbled farther into the woods, not thinking that the forest was forbidden for a reason. He felt trapped within his own mind. His thoughts were rushing through him faster than he could hold on. He went further and further into the forest until he reached a small clearing. A lone figure stood in the very center of the grove. Percy felt the wind rip out from his lungs.

"I know your plan, Percy," said the figure.

"This isn't real," whispered Percy as he fell to his knees. The figure stepped forward and knelt down in front of him. "You can't be here."

"I'm not. Not really. I can only be here because of that amulet around your neck."

Percy looked down and touched the amulet his father had given him. He had completely forgotten about it.

"I can command the dead," Percy said. The figure nodded.

"You're not really commanding me, but I can be here with you right now because of that. Nobody else would be able to see me."

"I-I..." Percy trailed off. He didn't know what to say.

"It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know that Elysium isn't ready for you. Maybe one day you'll come and join us, but not now. You're going to go through with this tournament, and you're going to get through it. Harry needs you. The world needs you."

Percy looked up at the figure. "I let you all down."

"No, you didn't. You've never let us down."

"Let me join you," Percy rasped out. "I'm so done with all of this. I'm sick of being used as a pawn. I care about Harry, but I don't want to do this. Let me join you, Nico."

Nico shook his head and stood up. "Elysium isn't ready for you yet, Perce. I'll see you again someday, but right now you have something you need to finish." Nico walked back to the center of the grove. "The world doesn't deserve you, Percy." With that Nico vanished.

Percy stared at the spot Nico had just occupied, no longer trying to wipe the tears. Nico's words rang clearly in his mind. _Elysium isn't ready for you._ Percy spat on the ground. So what if Elysium wasn't ready for him? He was ready for it.

But he couldn't leave yet. Nico was right. He had something to finish. Perhaps once it was all over, he would be welcomed.

Percy forced himself to stand up when he realized that the sun was well past center sky. He had missed lunch, but he didn't care; however, he had to be back for dinner. He couldn't miss the choosing of the champions. He made his way through the forest to the lake. The sun was setting, and Percy found himself completely alone on the grounds. Everyone must be inside the Great Hall ready for the feast.

He stepped into the castle, but there wasn't the typical laughter and chatter coming from the Great Hall. Instead, all he could hear was Dumbledore's faint voice. Percy opened the door to the Great Hall slightly, pleased that no one had noticed him entering. Dumbledore was standing up at the front of the hall beside the enormous Goblet of Fire. Percy spotted an empty seat at the end of the Gryffindor table and took his seat. The moment for him to step up was coming, and Percy wasn't quite sure he was ready.

"Now for the moment we have all been waiting for," said Dumbledore with a twinkle in his eye. "Champions, when you are selected, please head over there where Mr. Bagman is standing." With the instructions given, he turned to the goblet, and the entire Hall waited anxiously for the first name to appear. They did not have to wait long as the goblet shot out a blue flame and a piece of paper flew out into Dumbledore's awaiting hand. He read it then looked over at the Slytherin table.

"Representing Durmstrang is Viktor Krum!" The Hall erupted in applause as Krum stood up, bowed politely, and made his way to Bagman who pointed him to another room to wait further instruction. Headmaster Karkaroff scampered off after his prized student much to the amusement of many in the room.

Dumbledore held his hand out to silence the Hall and turned back to the goblet. The goblet did not take long to erupt again, and again Dumbledore caught the scrap of paper. "Representing Beauxbatons is Fleur Delacour!"

Once again the Hall began applauding as the French girl stood up and left the Hall rather haughtily. As she passed Percy, he felt his skin begin to crawl. He had heard a rumor that she was not entirely human, and this only served to confirm it for Percy. He took note of her. She could be a potential threat, but he needed to be careful not to let her touch Riptide. He wasn't sure if Celestial Bronze worked with the creatures of the wizarding world.

"Finally, last but certainly not least," said Dumbledore quieting the Hall again as Madame Maxime made her way behind Fleur, "is the Hogwarts champion." The goblet, as if on cue, spat out the last scrap of paper. "Cedric Diggory!"

The Hufflepuff table all stood up and cheered louder than they ever had before. Percy was rather shocked to see the normally quiet and subdued class show so much enthusiasm. Cedric blushed mightily as he stood up. He waved shyly at his housemates and made his way to where the other champions had gone.

"Now, with the champions selected I-" Dumbledore was cut off as the goblet spat out another name. Percy felt his stomach flip. This was it. Dumbledore's twinkling died down as he looked at the Gryffindor table. "Harry Potter."

The Hall grew dead silent. Dumbledore cleared his throat and said louder, "Harry Potter."

Harry continued to sit completely dumbstruck, but Hermione prodded him until he stood up shakily. Harry slowly made his way out of the Hall valiantly trying to hide himself from the multiple stares. As he passed by him though, Percy reached out and grabbed Harry's arm. Harry turned to look at him confused. Percy stood up.

"You're not doing this," Percy whispered to him.

"My-my name came out of the goblet!" rasped out Harry. Percy nodded, fully aware that the entire Hall was now staring at him too.

"I know. But you didn't put your name in. Somebody else did. This is why I am here, Harry. I'm taking your place."

Harry's eyes widened. "Can you even do that?"

Percy shrugged. "Only one way to find out. You sit back down. I'll take it from here."

Harry watched Percy carefully for a moment, but there was something in Percy's eyes that made him obey. No one saw Percy's hand move subtly as he used the Mist to influence Harry. Percy patted Harry's shoulder, turned to give Dumbledore a cheeky salute, but hesitated when he looked at the far corner of the Hall. Standing in the shadows was Nico. Percy gulped, and turned away and left before he let his emotions get the better of him.

Harry sat down at the end of the Gryffindor table completely shocked by what had just happened, and he wasn't alone. The entire room sat in dead silence as they tried to wrap their minds around what had just happened. No one saw Chiron at the head table shed a tear knowing full well Percy's intentions. After the four Gryffindors had left him, Chiron had received an Iris message from Thalia. She said that Percy had IM'd her, but that he cut off the message before he said anything. She had told him that Percy looked haunted. He knew then that Percy was reaching his wit's end. He felt a chill rush through his bones. Percy was willing to get himself killed, and Chiron had no idea what to do.

 **A/N: Hello everyone. I apologize for how long it took before I got this chapter out. It has been a rather difficult time for me lately in real life. But, what I do want to say here is just give a quick explanation about the story so far:** **No, this will not be a Percy/Ginny story. Ginny is a major character, but you'll have to wait to see just why. Instead, EoD will be Percy/Daphne. Also, I still don't know who to pair Ginny or Harry with. If you have ideas let me know in the reviews! Maybe you like that, maybe you don't, but I hope you are all still enjoying the story. Also, Percy-if you noticed-is not a push over. He's being compulsed by Hecate herself to give up information. The only reason he hasn't given everything up already is because he's so bloody powerful.**

 **Finally, this story WILL have a happy end!**

 **Thanks to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed! Love you all. (HUGE thanks to distorted-me for help on this chapter)**

 **UPDATE 2/15/18: I'm on Twitter now! Follow me realSweets10 for updates on my stories, sneak peaks of chapters, and to give your voice in polls for new ideas. I've done polls in the past on Fanfiction, but I'm switching it up and doing them on Twitter now. Hope to see you all there!**


	11. Chapter 11

Daphne, along with the rest of the Great Hall, sat in stunned silence. Harry Potter's name had just come out of the Goblet of Fire as the fourth champion. Daphne inwardly grimaced at the upcoming hysteria. Draco and his goons in particular would be unbearable, and judging from what she knew of Potter's friend, she doubted Weasley would let this go without some sort of row. Everyone was staring at the Gryffindor Golden boy, though from the look on his face, Daphne could tell he had not put his name in.

It was not known to anybody else but Tracey that Daphne Greengrass, a pureblood with a reputation as the Ice Queen of Slytherin, was friends with Hermione Granger. They had been ever since first year when they'd bonded in the library. Daphne was certain that Granger hadn't even told Potter or Weasley. Daphne enjoyed learning, but making good grades did not come naturally to her, so she appreciated Granger's of her secret friend, Daphne glanced over at the busy haired girl to gauge her reaction. Unsurprisingly, Weasley was turning red with anger towards Potter and Granger was whispering something furiously into his ear.

"Harry Potter," repeated Dumbledore. Daphne prided herself in being very observant. She knew how to tell when people lied or what they were thinking just based on their body language. It was what kept her and Tracey safe around people like Malfoy and Pansy Parkinson. Daphne was not that tall or intimidating in stature, so she had to rely on her awareness and cautiousness. She'd also developed her Ice Queen reputation as another layer of protection from those that would wish to get into her pants. With all her observational training, Daphne was even more certain that Potter hadn't entered himself simply based on his body language which was exactly why she was completely baffled when he stood up and stopped Potter.

When she had helped him out that morning, Daphne had only really got a look at Percy Jackson's face, but now seeing him standing up next to Potter, she got a very good look at him. Jackson was very handsome, she already knew that, but seeing him now she had to begrudgingly admit that he was gorgeous. He was very tall and even with his thick, school robes, Daphne could tell he was all muscle. There was more though to the mysterious American. Where Potter's hair was messy in what Tracey called an "attractive" sort of way, Percy's hair looked like it was spiked on purpose. Tracey had explained to her earlier in the day that it was called a faux hawk. As if the fates had decided to make Percy even more attractive, Percy was very nicely tanned. In fact, if she hadn't already learned he was American, Daphne would have assumed he was from Italy or Greece. However, most fascinating of all were his eyes. They were the color of the ocean which Daphne hated to admit she found unbelievably enticing.

"He's taking Potter's place!" whispered Tracey, snapping Daphne from her musings. Tracey was right. Percy had sat Potter down and was walking out to where the other champions had gone.

The Great Hall erupted in whispers once the doors closed behind Jackson just as Dumbledore and McGonagall rushed down the aisles. They said something to Potter and had him follow them out.

"What the hell is going on?" asked Tracey as the Hall got louder with people talking excitedly. "Did Potter enter his name or what?"

Daphne shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess they are trying to figure out how a fourth name came out of the goblet."

"You think Potter put his name in?"

"No, didn't you see his face? I think someone else put his name in. Why else would Jackson stand up?"

Tracey gave Daphne a sly look at the mention of Jackson. "You're even more interested in him now aren't you?"

"There's just something about him that doesn't feel right," hissed Daphne shooting her friend a glare.

"I'm sure if you pulled him into a broom closet and gave him a good snog that would feel right." Tracey had a smug look on her face and a cheshire grin. Daphne chose not to respond to her friend and turned away. She wouldn't give Tracey the satisfaction of a response. Anything she would say Tracey would just twist.

Just then everyone that was in the other room-Dumbledore, McGonagall, Jackson, Potter, the other champions and headmasters, Bagman, and Crouch-walked back into the Hall which amazingly returned to silence. They hurried over to the goblet, and Dumbledore dropped something into it. Everyone gasped when the goblet erupted. Daphne knew she wasn't the only one to notice Bagman's excitement, but she doubted anybody saw the relief on Potter's face. Jackson was unreadable which only irked her even more.

Dumbledore cleared his throat and faced the Hall. "I realize you all have many questions. I cannot answer all of them, but you deserve to know what is going on. Mr. Potter's name was entered by an anonymous source, which was confirmed by the goblet just now, and only by having another student take his place can Mr. Potter be removed as a champion. Therefore, let me introduce to you all the fourth champion of the tournament who will be representing himself: Perseus Jackson!" Daphne's eyes widened. She never doubted her observations, but she was still a little surprised to learn that she was right. Potter hadn't entered himself. "Now, please, I ask that the prefects lead everyone back to the dormitories. Good night everyone and congratulations to our four champions."

There was something going on, and Daphne was certain that she heard nervousness in Dumbledore's voice. Everyone stood up, talking loudly, blocking Daphne's view. To avoid anybody questioning her fascination in the new champion-namely Tracey-Daphne stood, pulled Tracey up with her, and ushered them out of the Hall to their common room.

Perseus Jackson-Percy-was very fascinating, but as fascinating as he was, he was even more mysterious. And Daphne just had to learn more. Never before had she been unable to read someone. Never until the boy with the ocean in his eyes stepped into her life.

««‡»»

"What is going on?" cried out Hermione. Percy flinched as he entered the Gryffindor common room. It was very late by the time Percy had managed to return to the tower. After the spectacular events in the Great Hall, Percy had met with Dumbledore, the men from the Ministry, and the other headmasters in Dumbledore's office. Harry wasn't needed so he returned to the tower. They'd discussed the legal actions that needed to be taken before Percy could take Harry's place. It had taken several hours, but they managed to fix the paperwork and transferred the magical contract made by the goblet to Percy. By the time he'd arrived back at the tower everyone had gone to bed. Everyone besides Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny.

"Give him a second to breathe, Mione," muttered Ron.

"I'm sorry, but I think we'd all like to know what exactly is going on," Hermione said indignantly. Percy nodded.

"You're right, I need to explain everything." Percy led them to the couches and sat down. The fire was still crackling in the hearth. "You see, somebody, we don't know who, put Harry's name in the goblet. Our best bet is that they wanted to get him killed."

Their eyes widened in shock.

"T-They did?" whispered Harry. Percy nodded.

"Either you would have to go through with the tournament which has seen many people die, or you would lose your magic by not participating," Percy explained.

"So you took his place?" asked Hermione. "How is that even possible?"

"If Harry had entered himself, I wouldn't have been able to take his place. Because he personally didn't enter himself, the goblet did not have a specific magical signature or whatever. Then we just had to drop my name-written by me-into the goblet. That's what you saw in the Hall. The goblet approved of me, so then we just had to fill out the legal paperwork that signifies me as the actual fourth champion and not Harry."

"This is so complicated," muttered Ron.

"It is," agreed Percy. "Hermione, if you want more answers, I'm sure Dumbledore could provide them to you. There's a lot more to it that I just don't understand. Lot's of magic law mumbo jumbo."

"So you have to enter?" asked Ginny quietly. Percy looked at her.

"It was either me or Harry. I'd rather it be me."

"That's very brave of you," she said. Percy blushed and opened his mouth.

"I wouldn't say brave."

"I would." She placed her hand on Percy's arm, resulting in a cough from Ron and a blush from Percy. Hermione tried desperately to contain her laughter as did Harry.

"Look Ginny, I need to let you know now that I'm not lo-" he was cut off by Ginny pressing her lips to his. Percy's eyes widened in complete shock. What the Hades was going on? He knew that Ginny most likely liked him, but he had never expected her to kiss him! He definitely didn't expect the kiss to feel so...platonic.

Ginny pulled away, her cheeks a fiery red. "I'm sorry, I just figured that you were going to say that you weren't interested."

"I...yeah, that's what I was going to say pretty much," Percy nodded, his voice raspy from shock.

"I just didn't want to live my life wondering what it would have been like to kiss you," Ginny said. "I guess I know now. It was..."

"Like kissing a sibling," finished Percy. Ginny nodded and gave him a grin.

"At least we can put all of this behind us."

Percy's mind was reeling. He had gone from explaining what had happened earlier, to getting kissed by Ginny out of nowhere, to suddenly not having to worry about Ginny trying to date him. He was unbelievably confused. From the looks on the other guys' faces, Percy figured they were in the same boat.

"What the bloody hell was that?" Ron asked.

"You wouldn't understand," Ginny said with a smile. "Hermione knows."

The boys looked at Hermione who held up her hands. "That's for us to know and for you to never find out."

Percy threw up his hands exasperatedly. "Girls." He looked at them. "I know you guys have a lot more on your mind, but I'm exhausted. I'll see you all in the morning." He knew he was making a hasty exit, but he honestly didn't want to be around anybody. He had a lot on his own mind that he needed to deal with on his own. Things like his own impending doom and what the fucking Hades had just happened with Ginny.

««‡»»

"You need to ignore them, Harry," muttered Percy as they sat down at breakfast. Things at Hogwarts were getting very unpleasant for both boys. Draco Malfoy had begun spewing lies that Harry had managed to cheat his way into the tournament despite the fact that he was no longer competing. Many people believed that to be true, and were furious that Harry would even think about breaking the rules and entering. Still, there were several students that believed Harry's innocence.

Percy, on the other hand, was facing backlash from everyone. Those that believed Harry had cheated his way into the tournament were furious that an American who had only transferred to Hogwarts a few months earlier was taking his place instead of somebody else. Those that believed Harry was innocent strongly believed that Percy was simply exploiting the Boy-Who-Lived. Hermione, Ginny, and Harry desperately tried to make everyone see the truth, but Percy didn't care. He ignored their insults, their barbs. He was an emotional wall that deep down, many in Slytherin were actually quite impressed. Including a young fourth year with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"I can't just ignore them!" Harry sputtered. "They're literally insulting you to your face. How can you ignore them?"

Percy looked around to make sure no one was actually within earshot. "I dealt with Ares himself insulting me. I dealt with Hades, and Kronos, and Atlas, and so many others. I think I can handle a bunch of kids."

"But still..."

"Harry," Percy said firmly, "it's okay. I am fine, please don't worry about me. I didn't come here to make people like me. You know that."

Harry's shoulders slumped. He really cared for Percy. Percy had quickly earned his trust, and Harry could not see the older boy as anything but a brother. So when people insulted Percy and called him ridiculous names and insults, Harry took it personally.

Percy patted Harry on the shoulder. "I appreciate you looking out for me. I really do. Just let me get through the tournament. That's all I ask. Okay?"

Harry nodded as Percy stood up from the table. It was already a week since the choosing of the champions, and classes were back to normal. Percy had an open period as did Harry, so they had gone down to breakfast much later than everyone else. Ron sat several seats down the table where he was still shoveling food into his mouth. Ron had been one of the hardest people for Harry to deal with. Ron had struggled with his belief that Harry had entered into the tournament, and then he grew angry with Percy for taking the glory. Because of that, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had elected to stay away from him until he got over his jealousies and insecurities.

Percy felt bad that he had caused a rift in their friendship. That had never been his intention. He also felt bad for alienating himself from Harry and the others. They all had so many more questions, especially when they'd accidentally let it slip that Chiron had told them everything. Percy felt himself torn. He was angry that they knew on top of his anger for everything he was dealing with, but he also wanted to care for his new friends. In the end, Percy had decided to seclude himself so that he would not accidentally take out his anger on a friend. Harry continued to try and speak with Percy, but Percy made excuses such as not feeling well, feeling exhausted, and needing to prepare for the tournament.

The rest of the day had gone by rather uneventfully. That is, until the Weighing of the Wands. Ollivander was still fascinated by Percy and his wand, and the other champions had warmed up to him a tad-except for Krum. Then Percy was unexpectedly dragged into an interview with a sickening woman named Rita Skeeter. She had asked him all sorts of questions such as why he was at Hogwarts, why he had taken Harry's place, where he was from, if he even knew what he was getting himself into. Percy thought he had answered all the questions well, but the next day the newspapers came out with a very disturbing article.

Skeeter accused Percy of stealing Harry's chance to glory by taking his place. She wrote about how Percy was some nobody from America that was going to use the tournament to make a name for himself. The article had ended with Skeeter imploring her readers to reject Percy as a champion as there was no way such a mediocre wizard could take the Boy-Who-Lived's place. Percy genuinely didn't care about the article, but Harry and the others were furious. That's when Dumbledore came to Percy and informed him that they needed to speak. Percy had thought they would meet in Dumbledore's office, but the headmaster had told him to meet him at the little town near the school called Hogsmeade at the end of the week. For the next several days Percy kept entirely to himself. His friends grew worried, but Chiron told them that Percy simply needed time to think things through.

Only a week before the first task, Percy found himself heading down to Hogsmeade with Chiron by his side. It was late at night, and Dumbledore had said that it was a matter of vital importance-that no one was to know about their meeting. Percy felt bad for avoiding Harry and the others after everything went down so chaotically following Skeeter's article, but he did not want to cause them more problems. People were looking to blame anybody for anything.

"Why are you doing this, Percy?" asked Chiron silently as they left the school grounds. Percy sighed. He knew that this question was coming.

"It's my job, Chiron. I had a dream last night, and I saw Hecate talking with Hestia. Harry's name was going to come out of that goblet, and Hecate made it quite clear that he would die unless I took his place."

"So you're okay dying in his place?"

Percy nodded. "I am."

Chiron sighed and stopped rolling. Percy turned to him. "Just be careful. I don't want to lose you too."

Percy nodded again, but inwardly he cringed. This tournament was his excuse to die while still fulfilling his promise to Hecate and Harry. Chiron didn't seem convinced but he continued down the path to the small village. The moon was shining brightly, and Percy wondered what Thalia was up to. He hoped she was somewhere far away from the issues Percy was dealing with in Europe.

They came upon the village of Hogsmeade a few minutes later, and Percy found it to be a rather lovely, quaint town. Even at this hour there were still people in the streets though most of the shops were closed.

"This way," said Chiron, leading Percy down one street.

"How do you know your way around?"

"Hagrid has brought me here occasionally."

Percy felt bad that he hadn't been spending enough time with Chiron. His thoughts of guilt faded to the back of his mind, however, when they reached their destination: a pub called The Hog's Head.

"What are we doing here?" asked Percy uncertain. It did not look like a good place to be. Especially so late at night.

"This is where Dumbledore asked us to meet him," explained Chiron. "Now come on. It's not like you have anything to be scared of."

They entered the pub to find it completely empty save for the elderly Hogwarts headmaster at a back booth. They made their way over to him and Percy sat down across from Dumbledore who was staring out of a window.

"Dumbledore," said Percy, "what did you want to meet about, and why here of all places?"

Dumbledore turned from the window to face him. "Not yet. We're waiting on three more."

Percy and Chiron exchanged confused looks. Who else could be coming? That's when the door to the pub swung open, and three men walked in. Percy stumbled out of his seat and immediately bowed.

"You don't need to bow," said Poseidon with a gentle smile as he lifted Percy back up to his feet. Percy looked at his father and the two others.

"Not that I'm not happy to see you, but what the Hades are you doing here?" Percy blushed. "Sorry, uncle."

Hades rolled his eyes but waved Percy off. "I'll let it slide."

"We're here because Thanatos called us here," said Zeus from Poseidon's other side. Percy cocked his head.

"Thanatos?"

"Me," said Dumbledore standing up from the booth. Percy and Chiron both gaped at the headmaster in shock.

"You're Thanatos?" asked Chiron. "How? This doesn't make any sense."

"Let's take a seat, and I'll explain everything," said Thanatos. The gods waited till Percy and Chiron cautiously returned to their seats before sitting down at the booth as well. "Everything started about fifteen hundred years ago. There were three brothers-three of Hecate's children-named Ignotus, Cadmus, and Antioch Peverell. They were reaching the ends of their lives, but they did not want to die, so they came to me in the Underworld."

"The names sound familiar," said Hades. Thanatos nodded.

"You helped me deal with them," Thanatos said. "You see, they managed to use some of their magic to trick me into giving them each a gift. One asked for the most powerful wand in the world, so I made one for him. I called it the Elder Wand. The second asked for the power to bring back a loved one. You, Hades, provided a small stone that would allow the wizard to see his loved one's ghost."

"Ah yes, I remember now," Hades nodded. "We called it the Resurrection Stone."

Percy's eyes widened. Did he have the Resurrection stone in his amulet?

"The third," continued Thanatos, "asked for the power to hide from me until he was ready to die. I appreciated his request compared to his brothers, so I gave him a piece of my cloak. When worn, it made him invisible."

"Get to the point, Thanatos," growled Zeus. "Some of us are actually busy."

"He's right," agreed Poseidon. "Some of us are busy. Why don't you let him finish, brother. If I can take time from rebuilding Atlantis to listen to this, then you can take time from feeding pigeons."

Zeus' eyes flashed in anger. Hades rolled his eyes and slapped both of his brothers on the back of the head. "Concentrate. There's a reason Thanatos called us here."

"I called you here because Hecate is out of control," said Thanatos. "I'm not sure how, but she managed to get a hold of the Elder Wand a long time ago. With it she has me in a chokehold, and she plans on finished what the Titans started. Only instead of the Titans ruling, she wants her children to rule the world."

"How is she going to do that?" asked Percy. "Harry is supposed to be the child of prophecy, and I doubt he's the sort to want to rule the world."

"He's not," agreed Thanatos. "Hecate has never cared for Harry. She believes that Voldemort will win in the end."

"I'm so confused," muttered Chiron. "If she believes that Voldemort will win in the end, why does she want Percy to help Harry?"

"She doesn't." Everyone looked confused. "She wants Percy to help Harry in the hopes that doing so will put Percy in the crossfire. She wants Percy dead."

There was a cold and eerie silence in the Hog's Head. Poseidon gripped the table to the point where the wood splintered. "She wants my son dead? Why?"

Thanatos shook his head. "She blames him for the death of her children. They were in Manhattan fighting with the Titans."

Percy cocked his head. "Wait, she told me that Kronos killed her children!"

"She lied to you. Hecate's demigods fought with the Titans, and she blames you for their deaths. She's placed a compulsion charm on you so that you'll reveal your mortal spot to somebody before killing you."

Poseidon slammed his fist on the table. "I will not allow her to kill my son. She already betrayed us in fighting with Kronos. She must be stopped." The other two gods nodded their heads.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple," said Thanatos guiltily. "She has made sure that she is protected by the Ancient laws. You cannot do anything to her unless she herself physically interferes in the lives of mortals which she has been quite careful to avoid. She has been using me for generations to do her dirty work. Years ago, when she first got a hold of the Elder Wand, she made me take down one of her rogue children named Grindelwald. Originally, I was to help him conquer the world, but he lost his mind and began slaughtering witches and wizards too."

"From what I hear," said Percy, "Voldemort isn't any better."

"Everyone that Voldemort has killed have been targets Hecate herself made. She's losing her mind. Having the Elder Wand in her possession has been clouding her judgment, and unless we do something about it, she is going to get a lot of very good people killed including Harry and his friends."

"So what can we do?" asked Chiron.

"Percy needs to go through with his promise to protect Harry, but you have to be careful. If we want the world to be safer, Harry needs to succeed. You're fighting not only Voldemort but Hecate as well," explained Thanatos. "The reason I asked you three," he looked at the Big Three, "is because the wizarding world needs to believe that Percy comes from a wealthy and prominent family in America. There is currently a communication barrier between Britain and America after the Grindelwald era, so nobody here will be able to contact anyone there; however, they might send reporters to America to try and find whatever they can about Percy. You three need to make sure that should any go there, they only get what we've told them already."

"I'll speak with Hermes about this," said Zeus. "Is that all? You could have just sent an IM."

"You also need to keep an eye on Olympus," continued Thanatos. "Hecate will most assuredly be gaining allies. She already has Morpheus on her side."

"And Hestia," said Percy. Thanatos shook his head.

"Not Hestia. What you've been seeing in your dreams is just Morpheus posing as her."

Percy's eyes widened before they hardened in anger. The calm, tranquil sea green of his eyes were replaced with the violent green of a storm. Outside, the wind began to blow viciously, and the ground trembled. Percy threw the table out of the way barely missing Chiron, and stood up in Thanatos' face. "So everything was a lie? You all have been manipulating me! I'm sick of it! I'm done with all of this!"

"Perseus!" said Poseidon trying to calm his son down.

"Percy, I realize you're angry," said Thanatos, "believe me I understand. But we need your help. Harry needs your help. If you leave now you are condemning him to death. Is that what you want?"

The wind died down slightly, and the ground stopped shaking, but Percy's eyes did not calm. "How do I know that this isn't just a trap to get me killed?"

"I swear on the Styx that everything I have said is true," said Thanatos. Thunder boomed overhead, and when nothing happened, Percy's eyes finally dimmed slightly. "Percy, I am risking everything meeting with you all tonight. If Hecate finds out you know then Harry will be in grave danger-we'll all be in grave danger."

"Hecate has never been the strongest god," said Zeus. "How could she possibly threaten us?"

"Normally you'd be right," nodded Thanatos, "but she's been plotting this for years. After Grindelwald went crazy, she focused on using Tom Riddle-Voldemort-to live out her plans. Unfortunately for her and Riddle, one of Apollo's blessed delivered a prophecy that one child-Harry-would threaten all that Hecate had planned. She sent Riddle after the child, but something went wrong. She blames Harry for messing up her plans, and she's tasked me with figuring out how Harry could have survived. Voldemort is attempting to return, and if he succeeds, then Hecate will have her champion once more. Imagine how the war against Kronos would have gone if Voldemort had been around to take part."

"So we need to take the Elder Wand from her?" asked Poseidon. "How exactly can we do that if she's protected by the Ancient laws?"

"What you need to do is-"

"No," said Percy cutting Thanatos off. "No. You will not do anything. Uncles, your duty is to protect the Underworld and Olympus. The best thing you can do is to continue doing your jobs and make sure Hecate does not gain any more allies. Father, Thanatos is right in that I will need you to help solidify the story that we are a prominent American family. Other than that, you need to leave Hecate to me."

"But Percy," began Poseidon.

"No, father. You cannot interfere. It's in the laws. Don't try to find a way around them because it won't end well. You could get Harry and his friends killed if Hecate finds out you know. I am the only one here that can do anything. You need to leave Hecate to me."

"You need to let Harry help you," said Thanatos. "I agree that Hecate is your responsibility, but you cannot face her alone. You're not strong in magic. You'll need Harry and his friends. You'll need to gather your own magical allies. War is coming, and I fear that this one will be worse than the last."

Percy closed his eyes. He was so tired. He was tired of dealing with the gods and their drama. He was tired of being the hero. He was tired of fighting. He was just so tired. But his fatal flaw wouldn't let him run away. As much as he hated to admit it, he rather enjoyed being at Hogwarts and learning magic. It definitely beat going to regular school. Not to mention the fact that Harry was like a brother to him. He really couldn't just leave Harry to be killed. Percy slumped back into his seat and looked up at everyone.

"I'm going to fight. I'm going to win this tournament, I'm going to gather allies, and I'm going to make Hecate regret the day she chose me," said Percy. Poseidon looked conflicted between his pride for his son and his worry for him. Chiron too looked proud as did Hades. Zeus simply rolled his eyes not thinking that Hecate could ever truly pose a threat. Thanatos clasped his hands together and sat forward, his eyes twinkling madly.

"Excellent. Now, I as headmaster of Hogwarts, I am not allowed to help any champion much less not the Hogwarts champion. However, as Thanatos, god of death, I believe that I can give you a little hint about the first task."

Percy narrowed his eyes. "What is it?"

"As soon as we are done here, head into the Forbidden Forest past the lake. You'll know what you're looking for the moment you see it," Thanatos said.

"If my son is killed in this tournament," said Poseidon slowly, "then I don't care if you're helping us or not. I will kill you myself."

"I second that," said Hades. Chiron nodded.

"I'll be fine," muttered Percy. "I've survived worse."

Poseidon patted his son's shoulder. "I know you have. But a father can always worry."

Percy gave him a small smile then turned back to Thanatos. "Is that all? Because apparently I have a lot to do."

"Yes, I need to get going. This was a complete waste of time," groaned Zeus standing up. "Next time just IM me. Save a lot of effort."

"Ignore him," Hades said. "Percy, if you ever need anything, just let me know."

Percy nodded as the rest of them stood up. Thanatos waved his wand and the table Percy had flipped returned to its place. Percy followed the gods and Chiron out of the Hog's Head and closed his eyes when Hades and Zeus showed their true forms to teleport away.

"I'll see you tomorrow," said Thanatos. "Before I forget though, would you like me to remove the compulsion charm Hecate placed on you, Percy?"

Percy gave him a look. Thanatos chuckled and flicked his wand. Percy felt an enormous pressure he never even realized was there leave his body. He felt better than he had since Hecate first came to him, and he only then realized that it must have been the charm she put on him. Thanatos gave him a grin, twinkled his eye, and looked at Chiron. "Fancy a lift back to the castle?"

Chiron patted Percy on the back and nodded to Thanatos. The headmaster grabbed Chiron's shoulder and the two disappeared with a loud crack. Percy turned back to his father.

"I appreciate you coming here, dad."

Poseidon looked at his son and placed a hand on Percy's face. "I'm always here for you. All you need to do is ask. When will I need to come to help prove your story?"

Percy shrugged. "You can head to the magical street in London and give a statement to their newspapers about how you were shocked but proud to find out I entered and took Harry's place in the tournament."

"I can do that," nodded Poseidon. "But why do you have to be from a prominent family at all?"

"The magical world is unbelievably traditional. Many of them believe that you only have a place in their society if you have 'pure blood.'"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"If both your parents were magical and can trace your family back several generations."

"But they're all legacies."

Percy shrugged. "They're all crazy."

"They must be," Poseidon agreed. He gave Percy a serious look. "I'll be here when you need my help. Just be careful you hear me?"

"I will be," Percy nodded.

"When does the tournament start?"

"The first task is next week on the 24th."

"I'll be there," Poseidon said with a smile. Percy's eyes widened.

"You will?"

"Of course! I wouldn't miss seeing the Prince of Atlantis showing off." Poseidon grinned and gripped Percy's shoulder. "I did want to speak to you, though, about that girl. Ginny. There is something special about her."

Percy shrugged.

"Do you think she'd make a worthy Atlantean princess?" Poseidon asked with a sly smile. Percy shook his head.

"No. She kissed me today completely unexpectedly, and it was like kissing your sister. Nothing is going to happen there."

Poseidon furrowed his brow. "Interesting. Still, there is something different about her. I will have to keep my eye on her. I guess I will be spending more time in Britain than I thought. Tyson and Triton will manage the restorations on their own, I suppose."

Percy nodded, secretly pleased to have his father around more. It was selfish of him wanting to have a god with him, but the god was also his father. He was allowed to be selfish.

"I will see you soon, son," Poseidon said stepping away. "Be safe. I'll make sure Hecate gathers no allies in Atlantis."

Percy waved goodbye to his dad and looked away as the Olympian teleported away. He looked around the town wondering if anybody had seen anything. There were several people towards the far end of the alley drinking together, but they didn't seem like they'd seen anything. Perhaps the Mist truly was much stronger than he'd originally though. He shrugged and headed towards the forest to see what Thanatos was hinting at.

It took much longer in the dark for Percy to reach the far side of the lake from Hogsmeade, and he appreciated Zeus' amulet as it provided just enough light for him to see his way. Percy walked over to the treeline and closed his eyes. He tried to hear anything, and for a moment, he heard nothing. Then he heard it. A roar that sounded distant. Percy's eyes widened, and he rushed into the forest in search of the source.

Deep in the forest, Percy stumbled across a large clearing. Closest to him were several tents, but at the far end there were four large enclosures. What was most terrifying was the fact that each enclosure housed a dragon. Not the drakons that Percy had faced during the war; no, these were dragons from children's books. Percy wondered what the Hades he was supposed to do. Fighting drakons was hard enough with swords, shields, spears, and bows. How was he supposed to kill these dragons with magic?

"Hagrid!" came a voice from one of the tents. Percy looked over to see a rather tall, young man with red hair walking over to where Hagrid and the Beauxbatons Headmistress were standing and watching. "What are you doing here? Why is she here? Won't she tell her champion?"

Percy figured this was one of the Weasley's. The twins had mentioned that they had three older brothers, and this one did not look at all like the image they'd painted of Percy Weasley. That left either Bill or Charlie.

"'Ello Charlie," said Hagrid. Percy nodded. It was Charlie Weasley. "I just thought I'd show 'er the dragons."

"Romantic," said Charlie.

"So what will the champions be doing?" asked Madame Maxime. "Surely they won't have to kill the dragons?"

"Goodness no!" cried Charlie. "They're just going to have to recover a fake, golden egg. Though, they asked us to bring nesting mothers. The champions are going to have to be on high alert. Dragons are already dangerous. Nesting mothers are going to be impossible."

Percy did not stay long enough to hear the rest of their conversation. He had found what he came for, and it was time for him to return to the castle. So he had to recover an egg from a dragon nest. Not to mention the egg would be protected by a mother dragon. Fuck my life.

««‡»»

After two weeks of hardly hearing from him, Harry, Hermione, and Ginny were all shocked when Percy confronted them in the common room. He sat them down and apologized to them profusely.

"I," he began softly, "I want to apologize for the way I've been acting."

"It's okay, Percy," said Ginny. "You have a lot on your mind."

Percy shook his head. "It's not alright though. I was rude and distant to you all, and you did nothing to deserve that. Truth is, I'm still having a hard time dealing with what happened over the summer." Percy hadn't wanted to burden them with the truth, but Chiron had already explained everything, so there was no point in hiding it anymore. "I lost a lot of people I loved, and I still feel haunted."

"It's okay to feel that way," Hermione said. "Everyone deals with loss differently. What you're experiencing is actually very common. Often people come back from fighting in wars with PTSD and or survivor's guilt."

Harry smacked her on the arm. "I don't think that's really appropriate right now."

Percy gave a small smile. "It's okay. I appreciate the thought, Mione."

She smiled back at him and blew Harry a raspberry. Harry just rolled his eyes. "So, how can we help you, Percy? There's got to be something we can do?"

Percy nodded. "As much as I'd like for you guys to be able to just take all this pain away, that's just not going to happen. I guess, just realize that there are going to be times where I need to be alone and deal with things myself. But I promise not to burden you all by ignoring you for so long."

"You're not a burden," Ginny said firmly. "You're not a burden at all." The other two nodded their heads fiercely. Percy shrugged.

"I don't know. Thanks for the support you guys. You have no idea how much that means to me. The closest friend I have left is my cousin Thalia, and she lives with Artemis and the hunters now."

"We'll always be here for you, Perce," Harry said. Percy felt a genuine smile on his face. He hadn't been called 'Perce' by his friends in a very long time. It was a nice, comforting feeling.

"You guys are great," Percy smiled. "But there actually is something you can help me with."

"Anything," the all said at once. Percy then explained to them everything that had gone on in the forest. He had thought about telling them about Hecate and Thanatos, but he thought better of it. If Hecate had placed a charm on him to reveal his secrets, then she would most likely be monitoring the three of them. Percy didn't need her knowing he was on to her. Instead, Percy described the dragons and how the first task would involve recovering a golden egg from a dragon nest. With a live dragon in it.

"A dragon?" whispered Harry. He was horrified that Percy would have to be facing a dragon, but he was secretly relieved that it wasn't him.

"Yes," Percy nodded. "I assume that each champion will have their own dragon to face. Unfortunately, the rules are that I am only allowed my wand, and we all know that I am shit with magic."

"Language," scolded Hermione. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I'm older than you. I can say what I want."

"Whatever. And you're not bad with magic. You're average."

"Yes, and compared to the other champions, I'm garbage," Percy reiterated. "I need your guys' help to prepare me for the tournament. I only have about a week."

"What if we meet after classes each night?" asked Ginny. "We can all meet in the library, find information and find spells that would be useful, and then we can move to an unused classroom to train Percy."

"That could work," agreed Percy. "Is that okay with you two?"

Hermione agreed adamantly as she was always eager to learn more. Harry did not seem thrilled about losing some sleep, but he agreed if only to help his brother out. They all stood up to go to bed, when Hermione had another thought.

"I actually know two girls that could be a lot of help," she said. "Would you mind if I bring them along too?"

Percy hesitated. "How well do you know them? Do you trust them? Because I cannot allow my secret to spread, and I don't see how my secret will remain hidden to anybody helping me out in this tournament. Anybody with half a brain will figure out that I am not a natural wizard. So do you trust them?"

Hermione nodded. "I've known them since first year. If anybody can keep a secret it's those two."

Percy frowned and pressed his hand into the brow of his nose. He really shouldn't be allowing this as he really didn't want people knowing his secret, but Thanatos was right. He needed to build an alliance if he wanted to survive the upcoming war with Hecate. In order to build alliances, he'd first have to actually interact with people. And so, Percy nodded. "Alright, I guess that is okay. But only these two you have in mind. Nobody else."

Hermione grinned brilliantly. Tracey Davis had come up to her weeks earlier telling her that their good friend Daphne had developed an interest in the enigma that was Percy. Hermione had felt torn between her loyalty to Ginny and her fascination in a possible relationship between Daphne, who was always so reserved and aloof, and Percy who was equally mysterious and distant. Now with Ginny and Percy having more of a familiar bond than romantic, Hermione felt no qualms playing matchmaker. Having Tracey and Daphne come to help Percy was just the first step. Hermione grinned as she watched Percy head on up the steps behind Harry. Yes, things were about to get very interesting.

««‡»»

"Did you do as I asked?"

Thanatos nodded. "I told them about everything. Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon shouldn't be a problem. They are expecting you to be gathering allies back in America."

Hecate cackled with laughter. "Excellent. With the Big Three out of the way, our plans can move forward. You've done well, Thanatos. Now, all that is left is to remove Percy. Then Voldemort can face young Harry unopposed. Everything is running perfectly."

Thanatos nodded. He didn't tell Hecate that he had removed the compulsion charm from Percy. He didn't tell Hecate that Percy was now determined to make it through the tournament. No, it was best if Hecate didn't know any of that. After all, if Percy died...Thanatos shook his head. Best not to think of such things.

 **A/N: I'm back! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Quick announcement, I am now on Twitter! If you are at all interested in sneak peaks of upcoming chapters, updates on progress, or get your own input into future chapters (not to mention lots of dog photos), then follow me realSweets10 . I used to do polls on this site, but I like Twitter better, so all future polls will be done there. Anyways, thank you all for taking time to read this story. Thank you for favoriting, following, and reviewing. You guys are AWESOME. This story is already on track to surpass Balancing Act: Civil War which I never expected so thank you.**

 **Until next time!**


	12. Chapter 12

"What's up, Mione?" asked Percy as he took a seat across from her. It was rather late in the evening, and the last few students were just leaving the library. Dumbledore-Thanatos-had convinced Madam Pince to let Percy and the other champions study in the library much later than other students. Because they were helping him out, Percy's friends were able to stay late as well.

Hermione looked up from the book she was reading and grinned. "I'm great. How are you? Classes went well?"

Percy shrugged and glanced at the enormous stack of books that Hermione had apparently pulled out for their use. He grimaced and grabbed the first one off the top. "Alright I guess. School is school."

"You should really put more effort in," Hermione reprimanded.

"What's the point?" Percy asked pointedly. "It's not like I actually came to learn anything."

"I know, but still. Put some effort into schoolwork. It might make this tournament easier for you," she said. Percy shrugged and looked down at his book. "Poseidon is your dad. Isn't he?"

Percy's head snapped up quickly. "Ginny told you?" Hermione nodded. Percy sighed and closed his book. "Yes, Poseidon is my father."

Hermione opened her mouth to ask him something, but Percy held out his hand. "I don't want to talk about that right now. It's a long story, and we have a lot of work to do." Hermione glared at him, but relented. Percy opened his book back up again and looked at the pages. He was already tired which didn't help reading at all. The words looked jumbled together, and he swore that the book was titled _Farts About Danish Spores._

"Hermione?" She looked up. "What's the title of this book?"

" _Facts About Defensive Spells_ ," she said. "Why?"

Percy simply groaned, dropped the book, and banged his head on the table. "I'm done."

Hermione grinned at her friend. "We haven't even started yet!"

"Where is everyone?" he asked without lifting his head.

"Ginny apparently got detention with Professor Snape for whispering in class, and Harry has Quidditch practice."

"What about those other two girls you mentioned?"

Hermione opened her mouth to respond when she was cut off by a familiar voice.

"I believe that would be us."

Percy whirled around, his hand reaching into his pocket for his pen, and found himself looking into the most brilliant blue eyes.

««‡»»

Daphne put her quills and parchment into her bag and stood up. Tracey packed her things quickly and followed Daphne out of the classroom.

"That was the longest history class we've had yet," Tracey groaned. Daphne nodded. Professor Binns simply could never make the subject interesting. Story had it that he had died out of pure boredom of his subject, and was cursed into being a ghost until he could make at least one student interested. He had died nearly a hundred years ago.

"The least he could do is give some energy," Daphne agreed. "It's like he wants the rest of us to die like him."

Tracey snorted and looked over at her friend. "So are we headed to the library now?"

Daphne nodded again and led them down the corridors towards the library. Hermione had come to them a few days prior with a favor. She said that Percy Jackson had asked her to help prepare him for the tournament, and that he would need all the help he could get. Normally Daphne would have said no, but Tracey had pointed out that this would be a good opportunity to get information on Jackson. Daphne was adamant that she was not interested in Jackson but that she simply didn't trust him and wanted to find out just who he was. Tracey and Hermione just rolled their eyes at her. Daphne didn't care. The Greengrass family survived the last war by being observant and figuring out who their threats were. Jackson was one such individual that Daphne had a hunch could be a very powerful threat.

"Daphne!"

Daphne blinked and looked at Tracey who was waving her hands around. "What?"

"I've been trying to talk to you! You completely zoned out."

"I'm sorry," Daphne said. "Just a lot on my mind I guess."

Tracey grinned. "Thinking of a certain Gryffindor again?"

Daphne scowled. "No." She had been.

"Sure you weren't," drawled Tracey. "Anyways, I was saying that Hermione is waiting for us at the far end of the library. Only the champions are allowed in right now, so we should have plenty of privacy."

It was then that Daphne realized that they were standing just outside of the library. She shook her head to clear the cobwebs. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention. That could have been very dangerous. Just another reason why she needed to learn just who Jackson was. Maybe then she could focus again. Daphne followed Tracey towards where Hermione had said she'd be. It was good that they'd be alone in the library. Daphne dreaded to think what her housemates might do if they found out she and Tracey were friends with a muggleborn. The library was eerily quiet, and she could just hear Hermione speaking with someone.

"...and Harry has Quidditch practice," said Hermione.

"What about those other two girls you mentioned?" came a deep voice. Daphne and Tracey stepped around the corner of the book cases and found Hermione sitting across the boy that had been haunting Daphne's thoughts.

"I believe that would be us," Daphne said. Jackson whirled around in his seat, his hand reaching for his pocket where he no doubt carried his wand, and stared right at her. She felt her mind go blank and the air leave her lungs as she stared into Jackson's sea green eyes. They bore directly into her, and she shivered at the power they held. Daphne had always believed that her father had the fiercest glare, but that thought evaporated in that moment. Jackson quite literally had a glare that could make You-Know-Who cower in fear. But as quickly as the glare came, it was replaced with a small smile.

"Daphne Greengrass, right?" asked Jackson. Daphne felt her cheeks heat up, and she nodded her head. Jackson turned towards Tracey.

"What's your name?"

"Tracey Davis." Daphne tore her eyes from Jackson and looked at her friend. She was pleased to see that Tracey was just as flush as she was.

"Nice to meet you," Percy grinned. He waved at the seats next to Hermione. "Take a seat. I guess Hermione told you guys why you're here?"

Daphne and Tracey hesitantly took their seats, on either side of Hermione. Both left at least one seat between them and Percy much to Hermione's amusement. Daphne nodded slowly. "She said that you need help preparing for the tournament?" She was inwardly cheering that her voice hadn't cracked.

Percy nodded. "I am not the best with magic, so any and all help is welcome. Right now we are just looking up spells that can help me with the first task."

"What's the first task?" asked Tracey.

"A dragon," Percy grinned. Daphne felt her cheeks burn again, and she inwardly chastised herself for behaving like a childish girl with a crush. She was interested in learning Jackson's secrets. Nothing more. At least, that's what she told herself.

"No shit!" cried Tracey. Hermione scowled and whacked her on the arm. Percy laughed and looked back down at his book.

"No joke," he said. "Saw them myself out in the forest." Daphne took a moment to look at him now that she was closer. All the boys at Hogwarts were clean shaven, but Percy was now sporting a small beard that he hadn't had a few weeks ago when Daphne had rescued him from Draco. She had always thought she hated beards on anyone, but with Percy it made him look...exotic. He already had very tan skin, with a powerful figure, and piercing green eyes. The beard simply made him more mature, and that was very attractive. Daphne inwardly growled in anger that she was thinking such things about a boy she didn't even know. She wasn't attracted to Jackson. She wasn't. Was she?

"What are they like?" asked Hermione, her voice full of eager curiosity. "I've never seen one before."

Percy looked up at her and shrugged. "Pretty big, wings, fangs, you know. Dragony things." Daphne rolled her eyes. Percy chuckled and then closed his book. "You know, I'm getting nothing from this book. I'm going to go look for something else." With that, Percy stood up from the table and headed into the labyrinth of cases. Daphne found herself admiring Percy's figure as he walked away which only angered her more.

"You're staring, Daph," Tracey said from beside her. Her voice dripped with unashamed mischief. "Why don't you go and find him? Maybe give him a good snog."

Daphne glared at the two girls who were now giggling in their seats. "Shut up, Trace." She looked over at the book that Percy had been reading and frowned. "How did he not find anything in _Facts About Defensive Spells_? It looks like a really good book." She grabbed the book and began leafing through it.

Hermione looked over at where Percy had disappeared to, and then leaned towards the girls. "Percy has Dyslexia. Basically, he has a really hard time reading because his mind will rearrange letters or just not register what it is he is reading."

Daphne frowned. She'd never heard of Dyslexia before and genuinely felt bad for Percy. She couldn't imagine a life without being able to read whatever she wanted whenever she wanted.

"Holy hell," rasped out Tracey. Hermione and Daphne both looked at her. "He's bloody gorgeous!"

Hermione gave a small laugh. "He's something isn't he?"

Tracey nodded adamantly. "He always looked cute from a distance, but I've never been this close to him before. How can you handle being around him so much? If it were me, I would have jumped him the first time we met!"

"To be honest, when I first met him, he wasn't in a good place. He has had a lot happen to him just recently which is part of the reason why he came to Hogwarts. He's actually Harry's neighbor. We all just became good friends, and I've never seen him as anything but that. Ginny thought she liked him though." For some reason Daphne felt her gut clench at that.

"We've all seen her spending a lot of time with him," Tracey nodded. "Are they together?"

Hermione laughed out loud. "No they're not. Percy was never into her, and when she kissed him they both felt like they were kissing a sibling."

Daphne felt her gut twist at the thought of the Weasley girl kissing Jackson. What is wrong with me? She shook her head trying to supress the images of Jackson and other girls from her mind. Tracey nudged Daphne in the side and grinned.

"Looks like you've got a shot at him," Tracey said. Daphne scowled as Hermione hid a smile behind her book.

"What makes you think I'm even interested?" She regretted the words the moment they came from her mouth. Her voice had cracked, and she knew that she didn't sound convincing. Tracey simply shrugged and went back to her book, though she had a wide grin on her face. Daphne rolled her eyes and looked at her own book. Sometimes Tracey was just too much.

"So he has to face a dragon?" asked Tracey after several minutes. Hermione nodded.

"He has to recover a fake egg from a nesting mother dragon," she explained. Tracey and Daphne gasped. Hermione nodded again. "He knows how dangerous it's going to be, but we're having trouble finding anything that might help him."

"Can he take anything with him into the task?" asked Daphne. "Or can he only bring his wand?"

Hermione opened her mouth and then closed it. "I'm not sure to be honest. I never thought of that. We can ask him when he gets back."

As if he knew they were speaking of him, Percy rounded the corner and sat back down in his seat. He placed a rather large book on the table in front of him. Hermione leaned forward. "Perce, can you take anything with you into the task?"

Percy shook his head. "Nope. I can only bring my wand which sucks, cause I would much rather go with this," he pulled a pen from his pocket. Daphne scoffed at him which caused everyone to look at her. Percy cocked his head. "What?"

"You must have some pretty high ego if you think you can face a dragon with just a pen. No wonder you're in Gryffindor. You just blindly run into any danger without any thought." She knew immediately that her words were very harsh, when Hermione and Tracey both gasped and looked at her in complete shock. Daphne felt terrible. She hadn't meant to blow up, it was just that with all her frustrations and confusion at being attracted to this mysterious boy, Daphne couldn't take it anymore and Percy gave her the perfect opportunity to snap. "A stupid pen won't do anything to a dragon! You need to take this seriously or you're going to be killed, and it'll be because of your own stupidity!"

For the first time in her life, Daphne felt uncontrollable fear. Percy's eyes began to glow with violent power, and he stood up to his full height. Outside thunder boomed violently, and the wind blew with force against the windows causing the entire library to shake. All three girls scooted their chairs back in fear. Percy closed his eyes and clenched his fists. When he finally opened his eyes, the brilliant glow had dimmed down, but he stared at Daphne with a look so cold she could literally feel ice creeping up her arms. "You know nothing about me." He spoke just above a whisper. He looked at Hermione and Tracey who were cowering in their seats, and he sighed. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I think I'm just going to get going now. It's late and I need to get some rest. I'll see you tomorrow Hermione. Good to meet you, Tracey. Sorry about all of this." And with a nod at the two girls, Percy turned and left the library.

"That-that," stammered Tracey. Hermione and Daphne could only stare at the now empty space. "I have never seen anybody have that much power. I don't think even Dumbledore can do that."

Hermione opened her mouth but couldn't find anything to say. She knew who Percy was of course. She knew that as a demigod of an Olympian god, Percy would have more power than almost anybody, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined just how strong Percy truly was.

"I-I didn't mean to lash out like that," whispered Daphne. "I was just so aggravated and annoyed by him that it just sort of came out."

"Why were you annoyed by him?" asked Hermione, finally able to get her words out. Daphne looked down at her hands.

"It's cause you're attracted to him and it scares you. Isn't it?" asked Tracey. Daphne hesitated before nodding slowly.

"I've never been this attracted to anybody before," Daphne said. "I've been the Ice Queen for so long now that I just don't know what to do." Tracey placed her hand on her friend's arm and gave a comforting squeeze.

"I know, hon," she said, "but Percy doesn't seem like he's the kind of guy your parents warned you about."

"He's a great person," Hermione confirmed. "He has had so much happen to him, that I think your words really hit a nerve with him."

Daphne put her face into her hands. "I need to apologize to him. Do you think he hates me now?"

Hermione shook her head. "He doesn't seem like that kind of person. I'm sure he will forgive you if you're earnest about it."

The girls scooted back to the table, and Tracey frowned as she remembered something Hermione had said earlier. "You said that he went through a lot this summer?"

Hermione hesitated. She wasn't sure if she should say, but Percy had already agreed that Daphne and Tracey could know some of his secrets if they were going to be helping so... "Yes he did. Actually, he didn't even tell us. His grandpa did."

"His grandpa?" asked Daphne confused.

"Mr. Brunner," Hermione said. Tracey and Daphne gave quiet 'ahs' as it clicked in their heads. "Mr. Brunner told us that Percy used to go to a camp every summer in New York, but they were attacked by a lunatic. It's not really my place to tell you everything that happened, but Percy lost his cousin and many of his best friends in the attack." Tracey and Daphne both gasped and covered their mouths in horror.

"That's horrible," whispered Daphne. "Oh god what have I done?"

Hermione gave her a sympathetic smile. "You didn't know. You were harsh, yes, but Percy has a big heart. He'll forgive you. I'm sure of it."

Tracey shook her head sadly. "I can't imagine having to deal with all of that. And you said this all happened this summer?" Hermione nodded.

"That's why he transferred to Hogwarts."

"The _Daily Prophet_ said that he didn't go to Ilvermorny?" Tracey asked.

"No he didn't," Hermione said, "he didn't go to any magical school."

"Was he tutored?" asked Daphne. It wasn't unheard of to be taught by a tutor rather than attend a magical school, though it wasn't very common.

Hermione shook her head again. "No. He's..." she hesitated. "Actually, I think that he should tell you himself."

"Like he'll talk to me now," grumbled Daphne. It was a strange feeling, openly admitting that she felt something for a boy, but she felt almost relieved that she had told her friends. Maybe now Tracey would stop her teasing, though Daphne was not to confident about that.

"Just apologize to him and see where it goes," Tracey said with a smile. "Who knows, maybe you two will end up snogging in a broom cupboard."

Daphne glared at her friend while Hermione snickered. Daphne rolled her eyes and looked at her Gryffindor friend. "When should I apologize to him?"

"Well," Hermione said, "Percy gets up unbelievably early every morning and either goes down to one of the unused classrooms on the third floor, or he goes to the lake. I think he said earlier that he was going to the lake tomorrow morning. Maybe you could meet him out there."

"Oh, a nice and romantic morning by the lake watching the sunrise?" Tracey said with a dreamy smile. Daphne elbowed her in the side which only caused her friend to giggle.

"I think I'm going to turn in for the night," Daphne said. "I need to apologize to him and better sooner than later."

Hermione and Tracey both stood up. Tracey slipped her arm through Daphne's and led them out of the library. Madam Pince had given them permission to leave the books undisturbed at the table. When they stepped out of the library, the two Slytherin girls hugged Hermione goodbye and headed down to the dungeons.

"You really like him then?" asked Tracey. Daphne sighed and looked at her feet as they walked.

"I think I do. I don't know, I don't really know what I'm feeling."

"Just get to know him," Tracey said. "Helping him out with the tournament will be a good opportunity for you two to get to know each other. Maybe you two are meant for each other. I mean, damn, that boy is powerful! If anybody is strong enough to be with you, I think it'd be him."

Daphne just shrugged. Too many thoughts and emotions were coursing through her. Looking back, she realized that she'd had a crush on Percy from the first time they'd met that one morning. She'd adamantly rejected her crush for weeks though despite Tracey's teasing, but it wasn't until Percy had stared at her so coldly and with so much power that she admitted to herself that she liked him. In that moment, Daphne had known that Percy was nothing like the other boys at Hogwarts. Percy had gotten furious because she'd accused him of being egotistical...among other things. However, she hadn't been completely lying when she'd snapped at him. How would a pen help with a dragon? It was only natural to assume that Percy was being reckless wasn't it?

««‡»»

Hermione stepped into the common room to find Harry and Ginny passed out on the couches while Percy stood by the fireplace. He turned around at the sound of someone entering and gave Hermione a weak smile.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Percy apologized as Hermione came over to him. "I didn't mean to lose it. I-it's been a long day, and I wasn't at my best."

Hermione just smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, Percy. We all have days like that. I just didn't realize how powerful you are."

Percy blushed. "That only really happens when I'm not in complete control. I don't know, that Daphne girl just really got on my nerves."

"She feels horrible, you know," Hermione said. Percy cocked his head at her. "She didn't mean to snap at you either. She was having a very long and confusing day too."

"Is she okay?" Percy asked with concern. Hermione shook her head with amusement. "What?"

"Only you could go from being so angry you start a storm to being concerned for the person who made you angry," she said with a small laugh. "Yes, she's okay. I think she's planning on coming to apologize to you sometime tomorrow."

Percy shook his head. "I'm the one who should apologize. I lost my cool, which just wasn't...cool?" He cringed at the awkwardness of the sentence much to Hermione's amusement.

"You're a great guy, Percy."

Percy blushed and shrugged. Hermione looked at Harry and Ginny asleep on the couches. "What happened with them?"

Percy glanced at them and shrugged again. "They stayed up waiting for us to get back from the library, and I guess they just passed out while waiting. I didn't feel like moving them."

"Should we wake them up?"

"No," Percy said. "Just let them sleep for now. I'll wake them up when I head upstairs."

Hermione nodded and made to turn and go to her dorm. She hesitated though, and looked at Percy. "I know I shouldn't say this, but Daphne is my friend, and I care about her. She has had a very hard life especially here at Hogwarts. She really likes you Percy. You're the first person she's met that hasn't tried to use or abuse her."

Percy cringed and looked into the fire. Hermione pursed her lips and walked back over to him. "What?"

"I'm not looking for a relationship, Mione. You know this."

"Why not? You deserve some happiness in your life."

"And you're saying Daphne will make me happy?" Percy scoffed. "Listen, I appreciate you looking out for me and for your friend, but I'm not looking for a girlfriend. I am here to help fight Hecate and Voldemort and that's it."

"So what happens when it's all over?" asked Hermione, her eyes hard with irritation. "Do you honestly think that when everything is over you'll be able to just walk away from all of us? From what Chiron told us, it doesn't seem like you have much to go back to." The moment the words left her tongue, Hermione paled, regretting them instantly. She lowered her eyes as Percy turned to face her.

"I don't know," he whispered. "I have no idea what is going to happen. If Chiron told you everything then he knows that the average lifespan of a demigod is 17. I am not going to start dating someone, begin to feel something, and then break their heart so quickly."

Hermione's heart broke. Chiron _hadn't_ told them that. Percy wasn't expected to reach 18? Tears threatened to burst from her eyes at the unfairness of it all. "Just think about it okay? I haven't known you for long, but you mean a lot to me. I want to see you happy too."

Percy looked down into the fire. "If I say I'll think about it, will you leave it at that?"

"I guess so," Hermione said uncertainly.

"Then I'll think about it."

Somehow Hermione did not believe him at all, but she simply nodded her head. She turned to walk to her dorm when she hesitated at the bottom of the steps. "Percy?" He looked up at her. "Everyone deserves love. Even you. Don't let your anxieties get in the way of something that could end up being so wonderful." With that she turned and left the young boy to his musings.

««‡»»

Daphne woke up early the next morning to the alarm bell on her nightstand. She groaned and rolled over onto her stomach to bury her face into her pillow. It was too bloody early. Why was she awake at this god-forsaken hour? Then it came back to her. Today was the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, and she still hadn't found Percy to apologize to him. She had gone down to the lake yesterday morning in hopes of finding him, but he hadn't been there. By the time she reached to castle it was already breakfast, and she doubted he'd be in the unused classroom. Now, she would have to wait until after the first task since she did not want to distract him in anyway.

Daphne knew that Percy and Hermione and possibly their other Gryffindor friends were preparing for the tournament, but she had stayed in her dorm under the pretense of working on homework. She knew she had been avoiding Percy, but she wanted to apologize to him alone not in front of his friends. Thankfully, Tracey had gone to help them and had said that Percy was not angry at all. She also said that Potter and the Weasley girl had been very open to working with a Slytherin.

"Daphne?" came Tracey's voice from the bed across from hers. Daphne loved the Slytherin dorms. Hermione had told them that in Gryffindor, all the girls in their age group were in one room. In Slytherin, it was two girls to a room though they shared a bathroom with two other girls. In their year, there were only two other girls, Pansy Parkinson and Millicent Bulstrode. "Daphne?"

Daphne groaned and forced herself to sit up. "I don't want to get up." She wiped the sleep from her eyes angrily.

Tracey, still dressed in her pajamas, smirked at her friend. "Come on, you don't want to miss Percy competing in the tournament."

Daphne rolled her eyes and got out of bed. She was thankful that she had placed carpet beside her bed so that her feet did not have to touch the cold, stone floor. She quickly grabbed some comfortable clothes and clean underwear and headed for the bathroom to shower. Waking up early had its perks as she did not have to fight with Pansy for the shower. She stepped under the water a moment later and enjoyed the feeling of the hot water on her skin. She closed her eyes and sighed. Truth was, she was anxious about the first task. Tracey had said that Percy was confident he would complete the task, but she still worried. Thankfully, Tracey was wise enough not to take the mickey out of her.

When she was done washing herself, Daphne stepped out of the shower and put on her clothes. It was supposed to be a cold day, so when she walked back into her room, she grabbed her winter robes which had a permanent warming charm on them. Tracey, who showered in the evenings, was already dressed and waiting by the door to leave. Daphne followed her best friend out of the room and into the common room. Nobody else was in there, so they left the dorms and went upstairs to the Great Hall for breakfast.

Walking into the Great Hall, Daphne was surprised to see that there were four people already inside eating their breakfast. At the Slytherin table, was Viktor Krum. At the Ravenclaw table, was Fleur Delacour. At the Hufflepuff table, was Cedric Diggory. At the Gryffindor table, was the boy that had haunted Daphne's dreams for weeks. Tracey nudged her gently and pointed at Percy. Daphne hesitated, as she did not want to be a distraction, but her need to apologize was beginning to gnaw on her too greatly.

Approaching the Gryffindor table, Daphne took a deep breath, her pulse quickening. "Percy?" Her voice was barely a whisper. The fourth champion looked up at her, and she once more felt as though she were falling into the ocean.

"How are ya, Daphne?" he asked. Daphne was beyond shocked that he seemed so laid back and that he had just casually said her name.

"I-I just wanted to apologize for the other night," she said quietly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. Percy grinned at her and motioned for her and Tracey to take a seat across from him. Daphne hesitated for a moment. While she was good friends with Hermione, she had never sat down at the Gryffindor table. She glanced at the entrance to the Great Hall before taking a cautious seat. Tracey sat down beside her.

"I forgive you," Percy said with a soft smile. "I need to say sorry to you as well."

Daphne cocked her head. "What for?"

"For losing my cool," he said. "I know I scared you, and I am very sorry. I didn't mean to."

"It's alright," she said with a blush. Tracey hid her smile behind her hand and looked down at her lap.

Percy grinned, "So we're good?"

Daphne nodded her head, still confused that he had forgiven her so quickly. Percy smiled widely which Daphne felt herself smile back at. Percy himself felt his gut clench at the sight of her smiling. It was a genuine smile, and her blue eyes sparkled so beautifully. Percy had thought long and hard about what Hermione had told him two nights before, and Percy figured that maybe he did deserve to find some happiness. It was a strange though, thinking about happiness after being so broken. He wasn't sure if Daphne would really make him happy, but he had decided that he wouldn't actively push her away. His father's IM the night before may have had something to do with that.

Poseidon had contacted Percy late in the evening. He had asked for more details on the first task and if Percy was prepared. Percy had explained his plan for the task which Poseidon thought would work well. Then Poseidon had asked Percy if he had found any cute girls at Hogwarts. Percy had blushed and said that he wasn't looking to be in a relationship. Poseidon had said much of the same things as Hermione, and there was just something about his father-one of the Big 3 no less-telling him to be happy that had sparked something in Percy: a possibility for a future that did not end in darkness.

"Are you ready for the task?" asked Tracey. Percy blinked and looked at her. He shrugged.

"As ready as I can be," he said truthfully.

"Do you have a plan?" asked Daphne.

Percy nodded. "We worked up a plan last night, and I think it will work out perfectly."

"What is it?"

Percy grinned. "You'll have to wait and see."

Just then the doors opened and a few students began trickling into the Hall. Daphne and Tracey, not wanting to be caught at the Gryffindor table by their housemates, stood up. Percy smiled at them. "I'll see you afterwards."

"Be safe, Percy," Daphne said sincerely. Tracey nodded her head, just as concerned for her new friend. Percy gave them a serious nod.

"I'll try." The girls gave him one last concerned look and then headed for the Slytherin table. Percy hurried to finish his breakfast and left the Hall. The other champions were still eating, and Percy wanted to work on his footwork some more before the task began. He headed outside and went to the far end of the lake. Chiron was there waiting for him, though he said nothing. Percy wasted no time in beginning his warm-up. It wouldn't do well for him to go in to face a real dragon without warming up first.

An hour later, Percy was sitting in Hagrid's hut scarfing down another large breakfast. The Achilles curse would drain all of his energy unless he got enough fuel. He talked with Hagrid and Chiron about the task, though Percy did not reveal his plan to either of them. Eventually, they saw groups of students leaving the castle and heading towards the spot where the first task would be held. Percy waved goodbye to them both and took off after they promised they'd be there in just a minute. They had to take care of a few of Hagrid's creatures first.

The arena stands were filling quickly with students, but the high walls of the arena made it difficult for Percy to look up to see if his friends were there already. On the outside of the arena were two massive tents. The first had two red crosses-obviously the medical tent. Percy felt a small bit of comfort that the officials had at least thought to provide medical attention. The second tent was at least twice the size of the medical tent.

"Ah, Percy! Good of you to join us!" said Ludo Bagman from beside it. Percy grimaced and walked over to him. "You're the first champion to arrive. Just head on inside, and when the others arrive we'll get started."

Percy walked inside and found that the tent was full of various equipment. There were chests and clothes and benches of all sorts. Percy had no idea what the purpose of them all were until Viktor Krum arrived and went behind one curtain and came out dressed in a thick cloak that looked to be more for combat than for school. Percy found a corner with his name printed above it, so he stepped behind the small changing curtain. On top of a large, wooden chest, was a heavy cloak with 'JACKSON' printed on the back. It was a very dark green, and Percy knew immediately that Dumbledore had made it for him as the front had a trident crest on it.

"Alright!" Bagman's voice came from the other side of the curtain. Percy stepped out of the changing area after putting the combat robe on. The other champions were all there in their robes. "The first task of the tournament will be dragons." Percy noticed that none of the champions flinched. They all knew already. "We have one dragon for each one of you. Your task is to retrieve a golden egg from the dragon's nest and escape the arena with it. I must remind you that you will not be allowed anything in the arena aside from your knowledge and your wands." One of the attendants stepped forward and handed Bagman a small bag that appeared to be carrying a live object. Bagman thanked the attendant and held the bag open for the champions. "To choose which dragon you will face, you will need to stick your hand inside the bag. Mr. Krum, if you would."

Viktor stuck his hand into the bag and pulled out a rather small, red dragon which, to Percy's amazement, began thrashing around and snorting out fire. Around its neck was the number 3. Bagman nodded, "The Chinese Fireball. Mr. Diggory?" Cedric stuck his hand in next and pulled out a bluish dragon. The number 1 was around its neck. "The Swedish Short-Snout. Ms. Delacour?" She reached into the bag and pulled out a dragon that looked exactly like the dragons Percy had always seen in books as a kid. The number 2 was around it. "The Common Welsh Green." Percy would be the last to go. He wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "And last, but not least, Mr. Jackson." Percy reached his hand into the bag and pulled out a black dragon with enormous horns all over it. It eyed Percy angrily, and Percy suddenly felt unsure about his plan. "The Hungarian Horntail." The other champions gave Percy a sympathetic glance.

"Excellent!" said Bagman. "Mr. Diggory, when you hear the cannon fire, just step out that way and the first task will begin!"

Percy watched as Cedric stood by the tent exit anxiously awaiting to begin. They had to wait a few minutes, listening to the muffled voices of Bagman and Crouch explaining the first task to the audience. There were gasps and shouts when they had finished talking, most likely at seeing the first dragon being placed in the arena. There was a loud growl, and Percy could see the sweat begin to soak through Cedric's thick robe. A moment later the cannon boomed, and Cedric stepped out of the tent to face the dragon.

There was immediately a loud growl and shouts of fright from the stands. Bagman cheered for Cedric when the Hufflepuff champion apparently transfigured a boulder into a dog distracting the dragon. Unfortunately, the dragon must have figured out the ruse, as there were shouts of panic, and Bagman began yelling for medical attention. A moment later he announced that Cedric would be okay, that he had just broken his leg and several ribs. He had finished the task.

Fleur took a deep breath and stepped up to the exit. The cannon boomed a second time, and the French champion stepped into the arena. Unlike Cedric's run, this time the arena was dead silent. There was nothing from Bagman either. Percy and Viktor shrugged at each other, unsure what was going on. Then the stands erupted in a panic once more. Bagman began shouting for someone to help Fleur. Percy bristled with anxiety. Both of the first two champions had apparently been seriously hurt. And they wanted Harry to compete in this? Bagman returned to assure everyone that Fleur's burns were being treated and that she'd be good as new. Percy swore he could hear a few groans from the female students.

"It is my turn," Viktor said. He stepped up to the exit and looked at Percy. "Good luck vith your dragon." Percy gave the Bulgarian champion a thumbs up but said nothing. Viktor waited for the third cannon shot before entering the arena. There were cheers and shouts throughout his entire attempt. Things got quite heated when apparently Viktor caused the dragon to destroy some of her actual eggs. Percy felt horrible for the poor dragon. Then apparently the dragon had struck Viktor with its tail knocking the champion out cold, though it sounded as though he had managed to get the egg beforehand. Percy took a deep breath, made sure his wand was in his pocket, and stepped up to the exit.

"And now for the fourth and final champion!" said Bagman's muffled voice. Percy closed his eyes, waiting. The cannon boomed. His eyes opened and he stepped boldly into the arena. He regretted it immediately.

The arena itself looked like a stone quarry. In fact, it looked like one of the maps in the video game that the Hermes cabin used to play all the time. Call of Duty or something like that. Sitting atop a large outcrop, though, stood a dragon identical to the miniature figure Percy had pulled from the bag. It had black scales like death, and its horns were longer than Riptide. The dragon watched Percy the way a lioness watches a gazelle. Beneath the dragon sat the golden egg. Percy, ignoring the shouts from the crowd, stepped forward towards the dragon. As he got closer, the dragon reared its head back and released the loudest roar he'd ever heard. Memories rushed back into his mind. Memories from only a few months ago.

" _Percy!" shouted Nico as he dodged the claws of an empousai. "We need to fall back!"_

 _Percy ducked beneath an enemy's sword and thrust Riptide up. Riptide found the nick in the rogue demigod's armor, slicing into the boy's side. Percy watched with sickened horror as the boy fell to the ground dead. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes and looked at his cousin. "If we fall back then this bridge is lost and the Titans will have direct access to the city."_

" _Then what are we going to do?" asked Nico. Around them, the battle was raging on. The Apollo campers were launching arrows at the enemy monsters, while Clarisse and some of her siblings were holding the front line. Percy and Nico fought there way back to the Apollo campers. Percy capped Riptide and pulled out a map of the city that Annabeth had given him._

" _We need to hold this bridge until the Hephaestus cabin can get here to destroy it. Once they get here, we will pull back our forces and destroy the bridge."_

 _Nico opened his mouth to retort when they heard a loud roar from the other side of the bridge. The fighting came to a standstill. Both sides paused and looked over at the source of the growl. The campers all paled._

"Di immortales _," cursed Nico. A large, reptilian monster came marching up to the bridge. The Titan army cheered and moved to the sides of the bridge. Percy rushed forward._

" _Fall back!" he ordered. The Ares campers did not need to be told twice. They fell back to their side of the bridge, not realizing that Percy had gone forward alone._

" _Percy!" shouted Nico. "Percy don't do it!"_

 _But Percy ignored him. The drakon reached the bridge and wasted no time in lunging at Percy. Percy uncapped Riptide as he simultaneously spun to the right, just barely dodging the drakon's teeth. The drakon recovered quickly but was caught off guard by Percy's quick counterstrike. He thrust Riptide into the side of the monster, cracking off several scales. That was how he could defeat it. By removing its scales first. He looked back at the campers._

" _Fire arrows at it! Distract it!"_

 _The Apollo campers, knowing that Percy's skin would protect him from their arrows, let loose a barrage upon the drakon. The monster, unused to being attacked so openly, faced the campers and roared at them leaving itself vulnerable to Percy's attacks. Percy managed to knock more of the drakon's scales off before burying Riptide deep in the monster's side. The drakon roared in anger and pain, but Percy held strong. The blade dug deeper and deeper before penetrating the monster's heart. With a massive shudder, the drakon collapsed. On top of Percy._

" _Percy!" shouted the campers._

" _Percy!"_

"Percy!"

Percy snapped out of the memory to see that the Horntail was lunging towards him. Percy panicked, having lost all focus because of that damned memory. He managed to roll out of the way of the dragon's first attack, but the dragon was much quicker than he expected. He made to get out of the way, but his foot hit a snag in the rocks. The dragon used the mistake to its advantage and lunged forward, catching the demigod in its jaws. The arena erupted in shouts of panic once more.

There was one person who did not shout. Daphne couldn't. She could only watch in silent horror as the boy she had developed a crush on was eaten by the dragon. Tears stung her eyes and rushed over her cheeks. Tracey latched onto her arm, weeping openly as well.

"You said that he was prepared," Daphne rasped out, bubbles of emotion forming in her throat.

"He-He said he was," Tracey cried out. They watched in terror as the dragon handlers rushed into the arena and tried to control the dragon that had still not released Percy's body from its clutch. Daphne closed her eyes angrily. She had finally found someone that she could be around that didn't just want to get into her pants. He had been kind to her even when she'd been so mean to him. Now he was gone. Taken away from her before she could even tell him that she had a crush on him.

"Look!" said someone from behind them. Daphne shook her head and buried it in Tracey's shoulder, unwilling to look at what was most likely Percy's broken and bloody body. Or what was left of it. Then Tracey gasped. It wasn't a gasp of shock or horror. It was a gasp of surprise. Daphne opened her eyes. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. The dragon handlers stumbled backwards, unsure of what to do, as the dragon's jaw began to pull apart and standing there between them was Percy Jackson.

Percy grimaced and growled in pain and frustration as the dragon's teeth clamped onto his sides. He was grateful for the Achilles curse since the teeth did not impale him, but they still hurt. They hurt like Hades. Percy vaguely heard the cries from the stands, but they didn't register in his mind. The dragon bit harder and harder, confused as to why it could not taste flesh and blood. This was it. This could be the out that Percy had been waiting for. All he had to do was quit resisting, and all of his pain would be over. He's be in Elysium with his friends.

 _Elysium isn't ready for you_ , came Nico's voice in his mind. Percy groaned and opened his eyes. _Elysium isn't ready for you_. Percy growled out in frustration. He wasn't ready for Elysium. He had a duty to Harry-to the magical world. He would not go down so easily. He moved his arms as best as he could, and gripped each hand on the dragon's teeth. With tremendous effort, he began to push out.

He pushed with all of his strength. At first, nothing happened, but slowly, the pressure on his sides lessened, and soon the teeth were no longer gripping him. He couldn't hear anything outside of that moment. He screamed out from the effort it took as he adjusted his grip on the dragon's teeth and pushed the jaws further and further apart. The dragon, dazed and confused as to how its prey was fighting back, neglected to breathe fire on the demigod.

When Percy finally managed to push the jaws as far as his arms could push, he opened his eyes. All around him were what he assumed to be dragon handlers. He recognized the one with red hair. In the stands, Percy could see Daphne and Tracey holding each other. Daphne was physically shaking. Percy felt a strange twist in his stomach that the girl was so distraught by what was going on. On the other side of the stands, Percy saw his Gryffindor friends comforting each other as well. Ginny and Hermione in particular looked to be in as bad of shape as Daphne and Tracey. Harry looked frozen in horror. Not far from them, Chiron sat in his wheelchair. His eyes were wide with fear, but also pride as Percy began fighting back. Beside Chiron, though, were three individuals that made Percy nearly lose his grip on the dragon.

The first individual was not a surprise. Poseidon had told Percy he would be at the first task after all. What _was_ a surprise, were the two girls standing beside Poseidon. The first girl had bright, auburn hair and looked to be about twelve years old. She made eye contact with Percy, her silver eyes boring into his. She nodded her head at him as though telling him to just finish it already. The other girl was shouting something at Percy, but he couldn't hear what it was. She had crazy, black hair and looked to be about sixteen. The fact that she was even there filled Percy with motivation. He let loose the loudest scream he'd ever screamed and pushed the dragon's jaws even further than he thought possible.

With the jaws split so far apart, Percy managed to adjust his feet. With a deep breath, he spun out from beneath the dragon causing the beast to stumble forward. The dragon tried to recover and lunge back at Percy, but the Prince of Atlantis attacked first. Grounding himself, Percy brought his fist down onto the dragon. It connected powerfully with the dragon's skull. The beast stumbled backwards as though in a daze. Percy punched it once more. It didn't get back up. He looked around. Everyone was staring at him with a wide mix of emotions. Many looked at him with fear. Some, like his friends, looked down at him in awe. Chiron, his father, and the two girls looked at Percy with pride. Well, the girl with the auburn hair simply nodded at him.

Percy ignored everyone as he walked over to the fake dragon nest. He bent down and picked up the egg. It was small and not at all worth the pain he or any of the champions had gone through. Everyone was watching him still. Many of the Slytherins-save Daphne and Tracey-were sneering at him. Particularly that one blonde boy. Malabou or whatever his name was. Percy felt anger for all of them. They were watching him and the others face dragons, risk their very lives, all for some entertainment. He threw the egg over to the exit he was supposed to go through. He glared up at Bagman and Crouch as well as the sneering Slytherins.

"Are you entertained?" he shouted at them. "Are you entertained?"

He spat on the ground and left the arena not bothering to pick the egg back up.

 **A/N: That was a lot of fun to write. Over 8000 words so I hope you enjoyed reading all of that mess. What did you guys think of the first task? Let me know in the reviews! Please remember to like and subscribe to my channel if you want to stay up-to-date with future posts ;) On a serious note, thank you all to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed since last time. You guys rock! Till next time.**

 **Quick note, there is a poll on my twitter account ( realSweets10) about Harry's pairing. Go check it out! I also removed Ginny from the character list. Not because she's unimportant, but because I want to leave Harry's pairing open for now. Thanks!**

 **(chapter un-beta'd)**


	13. Chapter 13

"Mr. Jackson, I demand that you take a seat!"

Percy let out an exasperated sigh and sat down on the bed in the middle of the medical tent. The tent was divided into four parts, and the other three were blocked off where the other champions were being attended to. Thankfully, Madam Pomfrey had convinced the officials to bring in nurses and mediwitches from Saint Mungo's. Percy looked at the Hogwarts' nurse and pulled off his robe.

"See? No injuries."

She waved her wand and looked almost frightened by what she saw. "How is this possible? What are you?"

Percy shook his head. This was the second time she'd asked him that since they'd first met. "I'm not normal, but you already know that. I promise I am okay, now can I please go?"

She opened her mouth to argue with him when the entrance flap opened and four individuals approached Percy. "No visitors are allowed in here!"

Poseidon waved his hand and the mist rushed around the tent rendering Madam Pomfrey completely immobile. He pulled Percy up to his feet and looked over him, making sure that nothing was bleeding. "That was not part of the plan, Perseus."

Percy blushed. "I may have blanked for a minute when I walked in. Still worked though didn't it?"

"Typical male," the auburn-haired girl said, though her voice was not laced with its usual malice.

Percy bowed to her with a smile. "Thank you for coming milady."

"Thalia kept begging to come," Artemis said, rolling her eyes. "Plus, I wanted to see a dragon for myself. I haven't seen one in years."

Percy turned to his cousin and looked down sheepishly. "It's good to see you, Thals."

Thalia rushed forward and pulled Percy into a hug. "You're a complete idiot, Seaweed Brain. But I love you. Of course I wouldn't miss this!" She pulled away and then punched Percy hard in the shoulder. "That was for not telling me about the dragons."

"How did you find out?"

"I told them," Poseidon said. "I invited Thalia, and Artemis decided to come along as well."

"I have never seen anything like that," said Chiron from his chair beside them. "You literally punched a dragon to sleep."

"And did you really have to quote _Gladiator_?" asked Thalia. "You didn't even get the line right!"

Percy shrugged. "It's a good movie, and I didn't want to get copyrighted!"

"You're not publishing your words," Thalia deadpanned. "That's not how copyrights work."

"You never know. Somebody could be writing all of this down somewhere."

"You're an idiot," Artemis said. "Why did you not use Riptide?"

"Or your magic stick?" asked Chiron. Thalia snickered.

"My plan was to use Riptide," Percy said. "I discovered yesterday that Riptide is completely hidden to people here because of the mist. They just think it's my wand."

"So you can actually do magic?" Thalia asked.

Percy nodded. "Not very well, and it doesn't feel right. It is definitely cool, but I much prefer water."

Poseidon puffed up his chest in pride. Artemis rolled her eyes.

"We must be going," she said. "We've been away far too long already and there are fascinating things to hunt around here. Congratulations on surviving a dragon, Perseus." She turned to leave the tent, smashing a beetle that landed on her shoulder as she left.

Thalia pulled Percy into a quick hug. "Be safe okay? You're all I have left."

"Besides the hunters."

"Yes, but they're not as much fun to beat up," she said with a grin. Percy grinned back and waved goodbye as she followed Artemis out.

"I'm proud of you, son," Poseidon said. "Though I do wish next time you stick to your plan?"

Percy nodded. "I'll try to."

Poseidon nodded back and walked out of the tent. He said as he left, "Let me know when the next task is."

Percy waved goodbye and looked down at Chiron. "So about my footwork..."

"We will need to work on that as soon as possible," Chiron said, hiding his smirk. "Your technique was atrocious."

The Prince of Atlantis sighed and laid down on the bed. That meant even earlier mornings. He needed his sleep! The air chilled as the mist left the tent.

"Oh! Mr. Brunner," said Madam Pomfrey. "When did you get here?"

"Just a moment ago," Chiron said with a wink to Percy. "I'll get out of your hair, I just wanted to make sure Percy was alright."

"Yes, yes of course," she said. "He's doing well and can go out to receive his scores."

Chiron and Percy both thanked her and began leaving the infirmary tent when Bagman rushed in, the golden egg tucked under his arm. "Ah! Percy, my boy, I was just coming to get you! It is time for the judges to give you their score!"

"Their score?" asked Percy. "It's bad enough forcing children to fight monsters like that for entertainment, but you're telling me they're actually judging us on our actions?"

Bagman spluttered. "That's the point of the tournament!"

"Psychos," Percy muttered under his breath. He allowed Bagman to lead him back outside of the tent. Chiron was forced to remain behind as they entered the arena again. Thankfully, the dragons had been cleared away. The crowd cheered as Percy stepped back in, but Percy felt only disdain. There was a reason why the Colosseum had been allowed to crumble. Bagman handed Percy the golden egg and made his way into the stands to sit at the judge's table.

"Unfortunately," came Crouch's voice, quieting the crowd, "the other three champions are still recovering from their injuries. We will have to inform them of their scores later." The crowd booed. "We will still give out our scores, do not worry." Percy glared up at him. "First, Cedric Diggory performed an admirable bit of transfiguration. He managed to distract his dragon, though he was severely injured when leaving the arena. Judges, what are your scores?"

Dumbledore held up a 9, Madame Maxime held up a 7, Bagman held up a 9, Karkaroff held up a 5, and then Crouch himself held up an 8. Crouch cleared his throat, "That's a 38 for Mr. Diggory!" The crowd cheered, though none as loudly as the Hufflepuffs. "As for Miss Fleur Delacour, she performed some very powerful magic in putting her dragon to sleep, but was injured when the dragon snorted out flames. Judges?"

Dumbledore held up an 8, Madame Maxime held up a 10, Bagman held up an 8, Karkaroff held up a 4, and Crouch held up an 7. "That's 37 for Miss Delacour!" The Beauxbatons delegates politely cheered for their champion. "Third, Viktor Krum cast an impressive Conjunctivitus curse that hit the dragon's eyes, but in it's rage, the dragon crushed some of her eggs and flung Krum across the arena. He is still comatose at the moment. Judges? What are your scores?"

Dumbledore held up a 7, Madame Maxime held up a 7, Bagman held up an 8, Karkaroff held up a 10, and Crouch held up an 8. "That's 40 for Mr. Krum putting him in the lead!" The Slytherins-aside from a select few-and the Durmstrang students applauded mightily for Quidditch star. "And finally, Perseus Jackson who did not use any magic whatsoever. The dragon attacked him and in an unbelievable show of strength, Mr. Jackson pulled the dragon's jaw away and punched it unconscious." The crowd erupted in whispers. Still nobody could believe what they'd seen. "Judges?"

Dumbledore held up a 10, Madame Maxime held up a 7, Bagman held up a 7, Karkaroff held up a 3, and Crouch held up a 6. "That's 33 for Mr. Jackson." Percy simply shrugged. Apparently they _weren't_ entertained. Oh well. "Perhaps next time use magic." Percy glared at him. "Ahem, yes, the next task will be held in February. Enjoy the rest of the day." The stands cleared out as many students chuckled at Crouch's nervousness, though they knew that if Percy-the boy who had punched a dragon-had glared at them they'd be nervous as well.

Percy watched as everyone fled the stands, eager to enjoy the rest of their day without worrying about homework or school. He returned to the medical tent and patted Chiron on the shoulder. "I'm in last place apparently."

"They're all biased bastards," Chiron said, spitting on the ground. "But you deserved that 33. We are going to have to seriously work on your footwork. I guess you're doing alright at the strength side."

"Because I punched a dragon?" Percy deadpanned.

"Don't let it get to your head. Strength is not everything. If it weren't for your Achilles curse you would have been eaten alive. Where was your head at?"

Percy sat down on one of the beds. "I-I was thinking back to the summer when we fought the drakon on the bridge. I heard Nico yelling at me in my head and that's what brought me back just before the dragon tried to bite me."

"If I remember correctly," Chiron said thoughtfully, "the drakon fell on you. Took several people to move it to get to you."

"Yeah, I know," Percy scratched the back of his head. Chiron looked at the egg in Percy's hands.

"What do you have to do with that?"

Percy shrugged. "I'm not sure. It looks like it has some sort of hatch on it to open up. I'll just wait till later to open it. I'm not in the mood right now."

"Your friends are more than likely worried sick about you right now," Chiron said. Percy nodded with a sigh.

"I guess so. I should probably get going. Need to let them know I'm okay."

Percy wheeled Chiron out of the medical tent just as Viktor and Fleur began sitting up in their beds. Madam Pomfrey was too distracted by their movement to comment on Percy leaving which he was glad for. He was starting to get aggravated by her constant suspicions. Percy said goodbye to Chiron who left to return to Hagrid's hut where he was to help the big man take care of some creatures. Percy began walking to the castle when he was knocked backwards by three hugs.

"I'm alright, guys," Percy said with a strained smile. His body was still a bit sore from the fight. They pulled back in alarm. "It's okay, I'm just a little sore."

"How did you survive that?" asked Harry. "You should have been eaten!"

Percy looked around to make sure they were alone. "The Achilles Curse. It kept the dragon from being able to actually bite me."

"We get that," Ginny said, "but how did you manage to pull the dragon's jaw apart?"

"Strength?" Percy shrugged. Harry and Ginny rolled their eyes, but Hermione looked at him inquisitively. "What Hermione?"

"Does being a demigod give you that extra strength?"

"Without a doubt," Percy nodded. "I highly doubt I could have done that if it weren't for the godly ichor in my veins."

"What's ichor?" asked Ron, speaking for the first time. Percy turned to him, having not seen the redhead there before. He eyed the boy sternly.

"Ichor is the blood of the gods. Gods have golden ichor, Titans have silver ichor. As a demigod, I have ichor in me as well. It gives me supernatural powers and allows me to use godly medicine."

"What kind of medicine?" asked Hermione. Percy shook his head.

"We'll talk later," he said. "Let's just get inside. It's much later than I thought, and I'm absolutely starving."

"Umm, Percy?" asked Ron, stepping forward. Percy looked at him.

"What Ron?"

"I just," Ron hesitated. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for ignoring all of you. I had a hard time believing that Harry didn't put his name in the tournament, but seeing you take his place and fighting the dragon changed my mind."

"I appreciate the apology, Ron," Percy said with a nod. "But I came to fight a war. I need allies. Can I count on you? Or are you going to turn your back over your jealousy?"

Ron blushed and looked at his feet. "You can count on me."

Percy grinned and put a hand on Ron's shoulder. "That's what I like to hear. Now let's get dinner. I'm hungry." He paused. "Wait, let me go down to the kitchen real quick. You coming Ginny?"

Ginny followed Percy down to the kitchens to offer part of their food to Poseidon. Hermione and Harry talked with Ron and explained all that they'd been doing with Percy to prepare for the first task. They chose not to mention they'd been working with two Slytherins. It'd be better for Percy to tell Ron that fact. Ron looked up to Percy and would be more accepting of the girls if he knew Percy approved of them. Several minutes later, Percy and Ginny returned and the five of them entered the Great Hall.

Percy ignored the stares as he sat down at the Gryffindor table to eat dinner. The Great Hall was filled and completely silent. He grabbed a bowl of mashed potatoes from in front of Seamus and began plopping several helpings onto his plate. He then grabbed the vegetables. He looked at Ron. "You need vegetables to balance out your meal." He looked around for the meat and found a plate of steaks in front of Harry. He reached over and grabbed two.

Fred, George, and Lee began to applaud, standing up on the Gryffindor table.

"Dragonbane! Dragonbane! Dragonbane!" they chanted. Soon the rest of the Gryffindor table began to chant with them. Then the Hufflepuffs. Then the Ravenclaws. The Slytherins glared at Percy with the exception of two girls sitting in Percy's line of sight. Percy groaned but figured he had to do something to quiet them down. He raised a hand into the air as though to say thank you and the hall erupted in cheers. Percy rolled his eyes at his friends who began snickering.

"I think that nickname is going to stick," Ginny said with a laugh. Percy groaned and began eating. As the Hall began to simmer down and people began to talk together and eat, Percy looked over at Daphne and Tracey. He made eye contact with Daphne and gave a small smile as if to say he was okay. Daphne's shoulders relaxed ever so slightly, but Percy noticed as did Tracey who elbowed her friend with a sly smile. Percy smiled to himself as he continued eating not noticing the smirk on Hermione's face.

He finished eating quickly so that he could leave the room and get some rest. His friends stood up with him as did the rest of Gryffindor house. He held up a hand. "I know you guys want to celebrate, but I am absolutely exhausted. Let's do this tomorrow night okay?" The house seemed a bit put out but they nodded. A party tomorrow was better than no party at all. Even McGonagall gave the slightest hint of a smile. Percy smiled at his house and left the Hall followed by his friends. They reached the common room and sat down on the couches by the fire.

"What does your egg do?" asked Hermione. Percy looked at the egg that he had completely forgotten he was still carrying.

"I think it opens up."

"Well what are you waiting for?" asked Ginny. "Open it!"

"Right now?"

Harry nodded. "Better do it now than later when everyone will be around."

Percy agreed. He spun the egg around to find the latch and then began to open it up. "Here goes nothing." Golden light poured out from the egg, and the most beautiful melody he'd heard in a very long time filled the room.

" _Come seek us where our voices sound,_

 _We cannot sing above the ground._

 _And while you're searching, ponder this:_

 _We've taken what you'll sorely miss,_

 _An hour long you'll have to look,_

 _And to recover what we took._

 _But past an hour - the prospect's black_

 _Too late, it's gone, it won't come back."_

"Close it!" shouted the four wizards, their hands covering their ears tightly. Percy looked at them confused but closed the egg regardless.

"What's wrong?" he asked confused. They looked at him as though he were crazy.

"What do you mean 'what's wrong'?" shouted Hermione. "That egg almost made us deaf!"

"The song?" asked Percy. "It was soft and sweet how the Hades did that make you go deaf?"

"What song?" asked Harry. "We didn't hear a song. It just sounded like a loud screeching."

Percy frowned. "Maybe because I'm a champion only I can hear it?"

"Maybe," Hermione said hesitantly. "We should wait and see what happens to the other champions."

"Well that'll have to wait," Percy said. "I'm tired and need to get some rest. You guys should as well."

They all said goodnight and headed off to their dorms, though Hermione stayed behind a few moments longer. She wasn't entirely convinced that the egg only sung to Percy because he was a champion. Perhaps it had something to do with who he was. She sighed and went to bed. She would have to wait and see if the other champions heard screeching or not. With how loud the egg was, surely people would be talking.

««‡»»

 **MODERN MYTH?**

by Douglas Johnston

 _Dear readers, you will remember a few months back we announced the beginning of the Triwizard Tournament. Three wizards were to be chosen, one from each school, to compete in the tournament. Most shockingly, Harry Potter's name was announced as the fourth champion. Then, a new student at Hogwarts, Perseus Jackson, stepped forward and stole Mr. Potter's place. We assumed this student was hoping to steal Mr. Potter's glory for himself, and we predicted he would not last the first task. Dear readers, we journalists are not often wrong, but in this case, we most certainly were. Perseus Jackson proved to the world that he is a force to be reckoned with. How? By bloody punching a dragon unconscious._

 _You read that correctly, readers. Mr. Jackson_ punched _a dragon and survived. For those of you that are unaware, the first task of the tournament was to retrieve a golden egg from the nest of a mother dragon. Mr. Jackson was nearly eaten by a Hungarian Horntail but managed to escape and proceeded to punch the beast in the head twice._

" _It was unbelievable," said Charlie Weasley, a dragon trainer. "I've never seen anybody do that in all my time with dragons."_

 _Not everyone was impressed by Mr. Jackson's performance. Of all the champions, he received the lowest score due to not using any magic in the task. The next task will be in February. What sort of feat will Mr. Jackson show us? Only time will tell. More information on the Triwizard Tournament on page 4._

 **RITA SKEETER MISSING**

 _Long time writer for the Daily Prophet has gone missing. If anyone has any information on Rita Skeeter, please contact the Auror Department. For more information on Ms. Skeeter's stellar career at the Prophet, go to page 5._

"Have you seen this yet, Percy?" asked Harry. Percy looked up from his plate of food and stared at the newspaper in Harry's hand.

"No. Let me eat," Percy said. He looked back down at his food and continued eating.

"They're calling you a modern myth," Harry said with a smirk. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Apparently that fowl woman, Rita Skeeter, is also missing," said Hermione from beside Harry. "Can't say that I'm upset about it."

"Really?" asked Ginny in surprise. "Hermione is not sad about someone going missing?"

Hermione blushed. "I hate that woman."

Percy snorted and took a sip of juice. The first task was over and it had only taken a few hours before the newspaper started talking about Percy. He didn't really care. They could say whatever they wanted about him. Wouldn't be any worse than what he'd already endured. A few girls farther down the Gryffindor table and several at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables in front of Percy were giggling and watching him. He hated the attention. He much preferred Camp Half-Blood and the constant taunting from the Ares table. Thinking of camp put him in a sour mood.

"I still can't believe you just punched that dragon!" said Ron. "It was bloody incredible!"

"Language, Ronald," Hermione chastised. Ron rolled his eyes.

"It was."

Hermione shrugged. "It was pretty incredible."

Percy rolled his eyes again. "You guys need more excitement in your lives."

"No thank you," Harry shook his head. "I'm glad I'm not in the tournament. The last three years have been exciting enough."

Percy had heard hints of what had happened the previous years but still hadn't heard the full stories. "What happened?"

"We can talk tonight," Harry said. "I don't want to talk about it here right now."

Percy nodded and stood up. "We should get going. I want to finish our homework now and not wait last minute."

Ron groaned. "Do we have to do it now?"

"Ron, if I am doing my homework now you can definitely do it," Percy said. "I hate homework even more than you do."

"Doubtful," Hermione whispered under her breath. Ginny snorted.

The day passed by rather quickly. The five of them spent the majority of the day in the library working on homework leaving only to go to the bathroom and eat lunch. Ron found working on homework to be rather fun with someone like Percy around. Percy's sarcastic and cynical view on homework was entertaining and showed Ron that maybe homework didn't have to be so awful all the time. When it was time for dinner, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny headed down to the Great Hall to save a place for Harry and Percy who were left with putting the books away.

"Percy?" asked Harry. "Can we talk about something?"

Percy frowned and sat down at the table next to Harry. "What's up, buddy?"

"I keep thinking about the first task and how I would never have survived that."

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Percy said. "You didn't have to do the task. You're perfectly fine."

"But that's the thing! My name is the one that came out. Someone wants _me_ dead. I was supposed to be in that arena." Harry put his hands on his face and leaned on the table. "I don't even know who or why."

Percy sighed. Perhaps it was time to explain to Harry about the prophecy. He had hoped to wait until the end of the tournament, but Harry deserved to know. "I know why."

Harry looked up quickly. "You do? How?"

Percy waved his hand and the mist encircled the two of them preventing anyone from hearing them. "I found out not that long ago, and I thought it would be better to wait until I got more information, but I think you need to know now."

"What's going on?" asked Harry fearfully. "Who's after me and why?"

"I think you already know who," Percy said.

"Voldemort?"

Percy nodded. "He's not gone like everyone thinks. He's trying to come back, and I think he is trying to use you to do that. I took your place in the tournament to keep you away from him."

Harry was a mix of emotions. He was furious that he hadn't known about this. He was angry that a lunatic was out there hoping to kill him. He was also unbelievably glad to have Percy around. As much as he wanted to be treated like an adult, he knew he would not have been able to make it past the first task of the tournament let alone all three. "But why? Why me?"

Percy sighed. "Harry, a long time ago, before you were even born, there was a prophecy made."

"A prophecy?" asked Harry. "A real prophecy?"

Percy nodded.

"What did it say?"

" _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives..._ "

Harry felt the air leave his lungs painfully. "So...so either he dies or I die?"

"That's what it sounds like," Percy nodded.

"I can't do this!" Harry began to weep. Percy placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You can," he said. "I know how unfair it is. Trust me, if anyone knows what it's like to have a prophecy weighing over them it's me. That's why I am here. I will help prepare you for this prophecy, and I will make sure that you defeat Voldemort. I swear on the Styx." Thunder boomed overhead sealing his promise.

Harry looked up at him, his glasses smudged with tears. "You'll help me train?"

Percy shrugged. "If that's what you want. I'm not good with magic, but I will most certainly help you learn how to fight."

Harry looked down at his lap. "I would like that. Sorry for crying it's just..."

"It's scary," Percy finished for him. "I know. Hades, I know how scary prophecies are."

"Chiron never mentioned a prophecy," Harry said. "What prophecy are you talking about?"

"Several decades ago, a great prophecy was made. It was so frightening that the three eldest gods-Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades-promised to never have any more demigod children. Hades broke his promise and had two children, Nico and Bianca, but he hid them in a hotel that keeps you practically frozen in time so that Zeus wouldn't kill them. Then Zeus broke his promise and had my cousin, Thalia. Then Poseidon broke his promise and had me. Everyone thought my cousin Thalia was supposed to be the child of the prophecy, and she would have been if she hadn't joined the Hunt. It made her forever 15 which meant the prophecy couldn't apply to her."

"And what about Nico and Bianca? Wasn't Nico your best friend?"

Percy nodded sadly. "I met Nico and Bianca when I was fourteen. Bianca was killed by a giant metal guard, and for a while Nico wanted nothing to do with us. He actually tried to kill me a few times thinking I got Bianca killed. He became my best friend later when he realized what had actually happened. He would have been the child of the prophecy, but the hotel kept him frozen at 12 until he finally escaped which made me technically older."

"So what was the prophecy?" asked Harry. If it was possible, it sounded even worse than his.

" _A Half-Blood of the eldest gods,_

 _Shall reach sixteen against all odds,_

 _And see the world in endless sleep._

 _The hero's soul, cursed blade shall reap,_

 _A single choice shall end his days,_

 _Olympus to preserve or raze._ " Percy rubbed his eyes, memories of the war flashing through his mind. "I had a choice to make. Whatever I chose would either see the end of the world or the end of the war."

"What did you do?" Harry was fully engrossed in the story.

"It's a long story," Percy said. "Basically, Luke Castellan, who had betrayed us years back, was being possessed by Kronos. For a brief moment, Luke was back in control and told me to give him my sword so he could stab himself. Luke had the Achilles Curse so only he knew how to defeat Kronos. I chose to give Luke the sword and he stabbed himself. He died a hero."

Harry shook his head. "I...that's so crazy." He hesitated. "I'm still scared though."

"I understand," Percy said. "Prophecies are a bitch, but I'll help you survive. Alright?"

Harry smiled at the older boy. He was still furious about the prophecy, but it helped a lot to have Percy by his side.

Percy pulled Harry to his feet and waved the mist away. "Come on, everyone's probably waiting for us to eat dinner and I need to go down to the kitchens."

««‡»»

"Are you sure about this?" asked Percy.

"I'm sure," Harry said. Percy shrugged and hit the power button on his stereo. Music started blasting and Percy stepped back into line with Harry.

"Alright, just watch me first and then start following my lead."

"You really think this will help my footwork?"

"I know it will. It helps mine."

"Well, it's supposed to," said Chiron from beside the stereo. Percy glared at the centaur and Harry snickered.

"Just watch me, Harry," Percy growled. He began dancing to the music. The hip-hop steps came naturally to him, but Harry looked like he was having a hard time trying to figure out the footwork. "Just start. We can work on your moves as you go."

Harry began dancing, though he stumbled several times. It was much harder than it looked. Harry had always thought that dancing looked stupid, but he was gaining a new respect for it. It was hard. Really hard.

"You're starting to get it," Chiron said. "Just relax. Don't move so stiffly."

Harry tried to relax as best as he could, but his body still was trying to understand why he was moving like this. The song ended and they took a few seconds to breathe before the next song. They worked through four songs before Harry collapsed to the ground. Percy grinned and stopped the music.

"You did really good for your first time," he said. Harry let Percy help him up to his feet and accepted the water bottle he offered.

"I don't even feel cold anymore," Harry said. It was December now and the ground was covered in snow except where Percy had poured hot water to give them space to work.

"That's what happens when you exercise. Your body temperature increases."

Harry grabbed his wand and waved it to evaporate his sweat. He grabbed his winter cloak and slipped it on; his body temperature was going back to normal. Percy, the bastard, didn't need a cloak as he could simply warm the water molecules in the air.

"Have you figured out who you'll miss more than anything?" asked Chiron as the boys sat down on the ground. Percy clapped his hands and the mist emboxed them so as to prevent anybody from listening to their conversation. After dinner the previous night, they had gone down to the lake. They'd realized that only Percy could hear the egg's song meaning it was probably something to do with water which most likely meant the lake. They'd all gone down to the lake and found that the wizards could hear the song if they listened to the egg underwater. It was Ron that had suggested that night that it might mean someone not something Percy would miss.

"The person that comes to mind is Thalia," said Percy. "She's my closest family aside from Tyson. I don't know what I would do if I lost her."

"How will they get her?" asked Harry. "Didn't you say something about her living with the hunters of whoever now?"

"They're around here somewhere," Percy shrugged. "I don't know exactly where but I can easily find out. Not to mention Dumbledore. He'd be able to find her if necessary."

"Would it be a good idea to have Thalia underwater?" asked Chiron. Percy thought about it for a moment.

"As long as I let dad know in advance it shouldn't be a problem."

"Why's that?" asked Harry.

Percy looked at him. "This remains a secret, but Thalia is the daughter of Zeus."

"The king of the gods?"

Percy snorted. "Something like that."

"So she's your actual cousin?" Harry asked obviously trying to piece together Percy's bizzare family tree.

"Yep," Percy said with a laugh. "She's my cousin. Zeus is my good ol'e uncle."

Thunder boomed over head. Percy glared at the sky. "You may not want to admit it old man but it's true!"

Harry shook his head. "You're so strange, Perce."

Percy grinned at the boy and shrugged his shoulders. "I've been called worse." He glanced up at the sun. "We should head inside. McGonagall wanted to meet with everyone before the end of the day. We'll see you later, Chiron."

Chiron waved goodbye to them as they headed back to the castle. Harry frowned as they walked. He asked, "what do you think she wants to meet about?"

"I'm not sure," Percy said. "I'm new here remember? You're bound to know more than me."

"Yes, but you're older, remember?" Harry teased. Percy shoved Harry goodnaturedly as they headed into the castle. Classes were all finished for the day, but every student was supposed to meet with their head of house for a special announcement. Harry swore he didn't know what it was about. They reached the Transfiguration classroom which looked nothing like normal. All of the desks were gone and all of Gryffindor house was sitting to one side of the room. If Percy didn't know any better, he would say it looked like a dance floor. They found seats next to Ron and Neville and began chatting about what the announcement could possibly be. A moment later the doors opened and McGonagall strode in.

"Thank you all for being here," she said. "I have some rather good news! We have decided to host a Yule Ball this year!"

The students began cheering and chatting loudly. Percy cocked his head. What the Hades was a 'Yule Ball?'

"Quiet!" ordered McGonagall. Everyone fell silent. "Thank you. Now we have some important guidelines for the ball. The ball is only for fourth years and up." The younger students all groaned in disappointment. "Unless an older student invites a younger student to attend." The younger students all perked up a bit. "This will be a formal event so please, for the love of Merlin, dress appropriately. I will not have Gryffindor embarrass itself especially in front of the other delegates. Now, as this will be a ball, you will all need to know how to dance. Mr. Weasley!" Ron, who had been whispering with Dean Thomas, turned bright red. "Would you please come down here?" The boys all snickered as Ron made his way to the center of the room. "And Ms. Bell." Katie made her way to the floor as well. "Do either of you know how to dance?"

"I do," said Katie with a smile. McGonagall nodded at her and turned to Ron.

"No...err no I don't," he said. McGonagall nodded again.

"I figured as much. Now, please place your right hand on Ms. Bell's waist and take her right hand in your left."

Ron didn't move, too embarrassed to be dancing with a real girl. The girls began laughing at him which only prompted him to grow more embarrassed and aggravated. McGonagall had enough and grabbed Ron's arms and put them in place. "Good. Now when I play the music, Ms. Bell please lead Mr. Weasley here in a simple waltz."

The music began playing from an old gramophone, and Katie began leading Ron through a waltz. Ron kept stepping on her toes and stumbled several times. Eventually, McGonagall took pity on Katie and stopped the music. "That's enough for now. Ms. Bell you may go to Madam Pomfrey for some ice if you'd like." Katie smiled and shook her head though it was a forced smile. "Very well. Mr. Weasley, you need to practice before the ball." Ron blushed and returned to his seat. The boys all patted him on the shoulders. McGonagall looked around. "Does anybody else know how to do the waltz?"

Hermione raised her hand and McGonagall waved her down. She looked at the boys. "Any of you?" When no one else volunteered, Percy stood up and walked to the dance floor. McGonagall eyed him in surprise. "You know the waltz?"

"Among other dances, yes," Percy nodded. McGonagall looked apprehensive but didn't say anything. She stepped over to the gramophone and waited for Percy and Hermione to pair up. Percy smiled at his friend and put his hand on her waist and took her hand in his left. "Don't worry I'm pretty good."

"Just don't step on my toes," she said with a laugh. Percy grinned. The music started playing and Percy led Hermione through the dance. The girls began laughing and cheering as it was quickly apparent that Percy not only knew how to dance, he was good at it too. When the song ended, Percy dipped Hermione who began giggling. McGonagall actually smiled at them.

"Very well done, you two. Mr. Jackson, I must say I am rather impressed." Percy bowed and McGonagall turned to the rest of the room. "All of you, should you wish to attend the ball, must learn how to dance as well. I will be providing classes every week if you would like lessons. Have a good rest of the day." Percy and Hermione made to go to their friends when McGonagall called out to him. "Mr. Jackson!"

Percy turned. "Yea?"

"As a champion, you are expected to open the ball with a dance."

Percy grimaced. "I have to?"

McGonagall nodded. "I'm afraid so. Although, with your talent I have no fear that you will make me proud."

Percy watched her leave and cursed his bad luck. He had hoped to be able to skip the ball altogether but it looked like that wasn't an option. It also meant he had to find a date. Daphne came to his mind immediately, but he knew that wasn't an option. Nobody outside their friend group even knew that Daphne and Tracey were their friends. It would be too suspicious if he suddenly asked her to the ball, and he also didn't want to give her the wrong impression. Percy had accepted Hermione and his dad's point about letting himself be a normal teenager, and he wasn't going to push Daphne away. But he also wasn't ready to date anybody, and he didn't want Daphne to think he was by asking her to the ball. That meant he would have to ask somebody he really trusted, and he doubted he could ask Thalia. Not that the hot-headed hunter would even agree to go to a dance. It wasn't her style.

"Hey, Ginny!" Percy called out as Ginny was walking out with her friends. Ginny's friends all began giggling as Percy approached them.

"What's up, Perce?" asked Ginny with a smile. Percy smiled back and motioned for her to follow him.

"I was wondering if you'd like to go to the ball with me," he asked with a smile. Ginny looked uncertain.

"I don't know..." she hesitated. Percy rolled his eyes to which she grinned. "Yes, of course!"

"Great!" Percy said with a smile. Ginny knew that Percy wasn't asking her with romantic intentions. They were like siblings, nothing more. Percy would only have asked either her or Hermione since Daphne and Tracey would be too scandalous. And since Hermione was a fourth year and could go to the ball on her own, it most likely meant Percy would ask her. Ginny was glad to have such a good friend and knew that the ball would be really fun. Percy gave her a hug and then hurried after Ron and Harry. Ron was frowning at Percy but the older boy said something that made him smile. Ginny grinned. Yes, the ball would be a fun time indeed.

 **A/N: IT'S BEEN FOREVER. I am really sorry about the long wait I did not intend to take this long to post the next chapter. Basically, lots of family shit happened and lots of trips to the hospital. Everyone is back home now but it's been a rough couple of months.** **That being said, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It was a little shorter than usual and more of a filler but I hope you liked it.**

 **ALSO! Do you use Discord? Do you like talking with other readers/writers? If so, I'd love for you to join my Discord server! (discord | .gg | /KFMtfBn ) type that link into your browser to join! I'm excited to see a positive community (I'm not a fan of the forums here so I'm gonna use Discord instead) of fanfic members. Hope you'll all join! Till next time!**

 **UPDATE: I totally messed up the discord link haha. It should be better now. Just delete the "|"**


	14. Chapter 14

_Blood trickled down Percy's cheek. He reached up and touched it with his fingers. It wasn't his. It couldn't be his. The blood was bright red and still warm. He looked down at the ground where the slain demigod lay. Percy didn't know who he was or who his parent was. All he knew was that the demigod had willingly sided with Kronos. As far as Percy was concerned, that was treason._

" _Percy, they're falling back," said Annabeth. Percy wiped the blood off his hand on his armor and turned to her._

" _How many did we lose?"_

 _Annabeth grimaced. "We lost about twenty. Most of them Hermes cabin, a few Ares and one Athena." Her breath hitched at the mention of her lost sibling._

 _Percy nodded. "Let's regroup. Get the wounded to the medic tent. Where is Will?"_

" _He's in the command tent with Clarisse and Nico," Annabeth said._

 _Percy and Annabeth ran to the command tent where the other three were pouring over a map of Manhattan. The commanders turned to see them and grimaced at Percy._

" _It's not looking good," Clarisse said. "We already lost the Lincoln Tunnel. We set up blockades on 8th Avenue, but it's only a matter of time before the Titans push through."_

" _And what about the other bridge?" asked Percy._

" _The Queens tunnel?" Percy nodded. "We are holding the Titans back, but they're pushing hard. We are setting up a blockade on 3rd, but we need time."_

 _Percy turned to Will Solace. "How many wounded are there?"_

 _Will scratched at his chin. "We have too many. Some will be able to fight soon, but we have too many out of commission."_

 _Percy nodded. "Alright, get back to the medic tent. I need you to help out there."_

 _Will grabbed his bag and rushed off with a nod. Percy turned back to the others._

" _The Demeter cabin and the satyrs are holding back the Titans in Central Park for now, but they are losing ground," said Clarisse. Percy walked over to the map and looked at the circles, red lines, and pins. They were pinned down on three sides. If the Titans got smart and attacked from the south, there was nothing to stop them from reaching Olympus._

" _Alright, we need to-"_

" _Percy!" he was cut off by Travis Stoll who rushed into the tent. "Percy the Titans are pushing through the Queens tunnel. We are almost completely overrun."_

 _Clarisse spat. "Percy, the blockade isn't ready. If the Titans make it past the tunnel we'll lose half our army, and they'll have a direct line to Olympus."_

"Di immortalis _," cursed Percy. He waved at Nico and Annabeth. "Follow me, we need to hold back the Titans long enough for the blockade to be set up."_

" _I'm coming too," Clarisse said. "We'll need all the help we can."_

 _Percy nodded and they followed Travis through the streets and alleys to the tunnel. The sound of the battle grew louder and louder as they approached. Demigods screamed in pain and anger. Monsters snarled and growled. Sword clashed against sword. Greek fire pits exploded. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air. Percy uncapped Riptide and charged into battle._

 _Seeing Percy and the others joining the fight, the campers regained their spirit and fought harder. Percy dodged the attacks of several empousai, slashing with his sword and stabbing whatever came into his path. The monsters dissolved to dust. In his tunnel vision, Percy did not see a rogue demigod creep up behind him. He stabbed Riptide into a cyclops when he heard a grunt of pain from behind. He whirled around, ready to stab, when he found himself face to face with Annabeth. The daughter of Athena gave him a weak smile, blood bubbling out of her mouth, as she crumpled to the ground. The rogue demigod stood frozen in horror. Percy's eyes glowed with a primal rage. He threw Riptide at the demigod, impaling him in the heart, and dropped to the ground beside Annabeth._

" _Annabeth! Please, please don't be dead!" he sobbed. Her grey eyes never opened. Percy roared in anger and the wind picked up, knocking everything and everyone around him backwards. His first and best friend lay broken and bloody in his arms. A second demigod came charging at Percy, believing him to be vulnerable. Percy scrambled around Annabeth's body and ripped Riptide out of the slain demigod's chest._

" _Percy!" shouted Nico as he dodged the claws of an empousai. "We need to fall back!"_

 _Percy ducked beneath an enemy's sword and thrust Riptide up. Riptide found the nick in the rogue demigod's armor, slicing into the boy's side. Percy watched with sickened horror as the boy fell to the ground dead. He wiped the sweat out of his eyes and looked at his cousin. "If we fall back then this bridge is lost and the Titans will have direct access to the city."_

" _Then what are we going to do?" asked Nico. Around them, the battle was raging on. The Apollo campers were launching arrows at the enemy monsters, while Clarisse and some of her siblings were holding the front line. Percy and Nico fought there way back to the Apollo campers. Percy capped Riptide and pulled out a map of the city that Annabeth had given him._

" _We need to hold this bridge until the Hephaestus cabin can get here to destroy it. Once they get here, we will pull back our forces and destroy the bridge."_

 _Nico opened his mouth to retort when they heard a loud roar from the other side of the bridge. The fighting came to a standstill. Both sides paused and looked over at the source of the growl. The campers all paled._

"Di immortales _," cursed Nico. A large, reptilian monster came marching up to the bridge. The Titan army cheered and moved to the sides of the bridge. Percy rushed forward._

" _Fall back!" he ordered. The Ares campers did not need to be told twice. They fell back to their side of the bridge, not realizing that Percy had gone forward alone._

" _Percy!" shouted Nico. "Percy don't do it!"_

 _But Percy ignored him. The drakon reached the bridge and wasted no time in lunging at Percy. Percy uncapped Riptide as he simultaneously spun to the right, just barely dodging the drakon's teeth. The drakon recovered quickly but was caught off guard by Percy's quick counterstrike. He thrust Riptide into the side of the monster, cracking off several scales. That was how he could defeat it. By removing its scales first. He looked back at the campers._

" _Fire arrows at it! Distract it!"_

 _The Apollo campers, knowing that Percy's skin would protect him from their arrows, let loose a barrage upon the drakon. The monster, unused to being attacked so openly, faced the campers and roared at them leaving itself vulnerable to Percy's attacks. Percy managed to knock more of the drakon's scales off before burying Riptide deep in the monster's side. The drakon roared in anger and pain, but Percy held strong. The blade dug deeper and deeper before penetrating the monster's heart. With a massive shudder, the drakon collapsed. On top of Percy._

Percy woke up, Riptide springing to life in his hand. His curtains were drawn, and he could hear the faint snores coming from the twins and Lee. He took several deep breaths. He had been having the same nightmare every night since the first task. He kept seeing Annabeth's lifeless body in his arms, the dead demigods on his sword, the drakon on top of him. He capped Riptide and put it on his nightstand. He laid back down on his bed and pulled the covers up. Uneasily, he fell back asleep.

"You idiot! You stupid prat!"

"Wow it's nice to see you too, Daphne," said Percy with a smile as the Slytherin girl continued to slap his arm. She pulled away, and he was alarmed to see tears in her eyes. Tracey, standing to the side also had tears. "It's okay, I promise. I am perfectly okay."

"How did you...how did...how are you alive?" she hissed out, her voice a whisper. Percy sighed and pointed at the two open seats at their library table. It was much later than curfew, though Madam Pince had grown fond of their group and allowed them to stay late with a personal note from her giving approval. Still, Percy waved his hand beneath the table and gathered the mist around them so they would not be overheard.

"Look, there's a lot about me you two don't know," Percy said.

"Obviously," Tracey deadpanned. "You punched a dragon in the head until it was unconscious." Daphne sniffled.

"I did," Percy nodded, "and I was only able to do that because I am not human."

The girls narrowed their eyes. Daphne wiped the last tear from her cheek and stared at him. "You're not human?"

Percy shrugged. "I guess I am human, but I'm only half mortal."

"What the hell does that mean?" asked Daphne.

"It means that Percy here is actually a demigod," said Ginny stepping towards them and sitting down beside Percy. Daphne's eye twitched, but she did not comment on her closeness to him. Percy, on the other hand, looked at Ginny warily. She shouldn't have been able to overhear any of that.

"What are you talking about?" asked Hermione as she and Harry approached them.

"You didn't hear?" asked Tracey sarcastically. "Ginny claims that Percy is a demigod."

"That's because he is," Harry said. Hermione nodded.

"You're joking," Daphne said. "Demigods aren't real. They are just stories we tell children."

"We are very real," Percy said, pushing the issue of Ginny overhearing the conversation to the back of his mind. "Hermione told you both about what happened to me over the summer?"

The girls nodded their heads slowly, obviously not believing anything he was saying.

"Well, the camp I was at is...was a camp for demigods. When we were attacked, it was because we were at war with the Titans. They were trying to attack Olympus."

"That is the biggest pile of dragon dung I've ever heard," said Tracey. "You really expect us to believe that?"

Percy took a deep breath and called forth the water from his ring. It poured out and circled around their table, dancing and swirling around each person. More water came and covered Percy's body as though it were armor. More poured into his hand and elongated into the shape of a trident. His eyes glowed a brilliant green, and the scent of seawater and the ocean breeze filled the room. He threw his hands and the water splashed onto the table but nothing got wet. As quickly as the water came it retreated into his ring, and his eyes dimmed.

He looked at the two girls who sat completely speechless. "I really am a demigod. I am the son of Poseidon, one of the Big Three."

"That had to be wandless magic," Tracey whispered. "It had to be."

"Have you ever seen anybody use wandless magic like that?" countered Ginny. "Not even Dumbledore can do that."

"But...how is that even possible?" asked Daphne.

"Do you know Hecate?" asked Percy. The girls shook their heads. "Hecate is the Greek goddess of magic. Like all gods, she had children who inherited her powers. The people you call the founders, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor, they were all her children-her demigods. Even Merlin was a demigod."

"So," Daphne said slowly, her mind trying to process everything, "we are all demigods?"

Percy shook his head. "No, you are all legacies. You are descendants of demigods. None of you have any godly blood in your veins, but magic works differently. You can still use magic, and it is possible for a legacy to be just as powerful as a demigod."

"Dumbledore," said Tracey. Percy nodded.

"So we have magic because of Hecate?" asked Daphne.

"Yes," Percy said.

"So magic has nothing to do with blood status?" she asked.

"Not at all," he said. "Magic is the only godly power that is not dependant on blood status."

"Which means all that stuff that Malfoy and his goons are saying is wrong," Harry said. "Being a pureblood does nothing for your magic."

Daphne and Tracey both looked unbelievably relieved.

"Thank Merlin," said Tracey. "You have no idea how hard it is to be a half-blood in Slytherin."

"This is just so strange," Daphne continued. "We never believed much in the idea of pureblood supremacy, but we never really had a way to argue against it. If magic is really descending from a Greek goddess and isn't hindered by blood, it could change the wizarding world as we know it."

"You cannot tell anybody yet," Percy said.

"Why?" the girls practically shouted. Even the three Gryffindors looked slightly confused.

"There is a war coming," he said. "Voldemort is coming back and unfortunately, Hecate is siding with him."

The girls flinched at the name of the Dark Lord, but they looked visibly confused.

"How is he coming back?" asked Tracey.

"And Hecate is still around?" asked Daphne and Hermione at the same time.

Percy rubbed his eyes. "Yes, Hecate is still around. I'm not exactly sure how Voldemort is coming back, but he is, and he has a Greek goddess on his side."

"Then we're doomed," Harry said. "We can't possibly defeat Voldemort _and_ Hecate."

"We can and we will," Percy said seriously. He gave Harry a look that said they would talk later. "Right now, though, we need to prepare for Voldemort's inevitable return."

"Wait a second," Hermione said, holding up her hand. "You told us that Hecate brought you here to help. Why would Hecate bring you here just to side with Voldemort?"

Percy sighed. Answering that would mean bringing up the past summer, and he really didn't want to go into it. Especially not in front of Tracey and Daphne. They had only just now learned of the existence of the Greek gods. What would they say when they found out that Percy had led an army of demigods against a Titan army in New York City to defend Mount Olympus which just so happened to be on top the Empire State Building? No, that story would be for another night. "I don't really want to talk about that right now. I'll explain another night, okay?" The others didn't look placated, but they didn't press him out of respect.

Daphne and Tracey exchanged a look. Hermione had told them that Percy went to a summer camp which had been attacked over the summer leaving most of friends dead, and Percy just told them that it had been a demigod camp. Could all of this be connected somehow to why Hecate had chosen Percy? Daphne was determined to find out.

"So," Ginny said, "to change the subject, who are you all going to the ball with?"

"I still haven't figured out anybody to ask," said Harry, "and I know for a fact that Ron is even worse than me at this. And that's saying a lot."

"Trace and I decided not to go with anyone," said Daphne. "There's no one we really trust in our house, and going with someone outside of Slytherin is essentially suicide."

Percy frowned. "That doesn't sound right. When I was at camp, sure not all the cabins got along, but we didn't care who you spent time with."

"That's just the way things are here," Tracey shrugged. "It's been this way for decades.""It's worse between Gryffindor and Slytherin as I'm sure you've seen," said Daphne.

"I've noticed some," Percy admitted. "I just never paid much attention to it."

Tracey rolled her eyes but chuckled. "Figures. You should keep an eye open. If you're right and Voldemort is coming back, we need to be united."

"I agree," Hermione nodded. "We stand a better chance of surviving the upcoming war if we are all together. All this fighting is stupid." She gave Harry a pointed look.

"What? I don't fight on purpose!"

"You would do better to try and avoid Draco," Hermione said. The other girls all nodded.

"Draco is the albino one right?" asked Percy.

"The one that tied you up," Daphne nodded. Percy laughed at the memory.

"That's right. How could I forget?"

"Draco tied you up?" asked Harry. "When was this?"

Percy shrugged. "A while ago. I stopped him from bullying some little kids, and he waved his wand and tied me up."

"You let him tie you up? Why?" asked Ginny. "You should have shown him you're not someone to mess with."

"It's better to be underestimated," Percy said. "Next time we get in an encounter, he'll automatically assume he has the high ground."

They sat back and thought about what Percy said. Daphne and Tracey were both very impressed with Percy. Gryffindors were supposed to be brave and reckless. Percy certainly proved himself a true lion, but his comment was not Gryffindor at all. Percy was cunning and ambitious. Perhaps he would make a good Slytherin himself. Daphne in particular was growing even more fond of him. He certainly wasn't the idiot she thought he might be their first meeting in the library.

The friends continued to meet and talk. Hermione revealed that she had been asked to the ball but refused to divulge who had asked her. All she would say was that he was very kind to her, and wanted her to keep it a secret. Daphne was a bit miffed that Percy had asked Ginny as she knew there was a connection between the two. The way they talked and acted around each other made it seem like they were siblings and not together romantically, and Hermione had confirmed that they were nothing more than friends and never would be. That made Daphne feel a little better, but her gut was still swelling with jealousy. Harry told the group that he had decided to ask Parvati Patil, snapping Daphne out of her jealous musings. He asked Percy for tips on how to ask Parvati, but Percy just shrugged.

"I'm horrible with girls, don't ask me."

Daphne seriously doubted that.

When it grew too late, they all decided to call it for the night and return to their dorms. Percy stopped Daphne just outside the doors to the library. Tracey waited down the hall. Daphne looked up at him, confused.

"Save me a dance at the ball okay?" he asked her. A smile split her face, and she nodded.

"Of course," she said as confidently as she could.

Percy grinned and gave her a quick hug before hurrying after his housemates. Daphne's face was burning red when she walked over to a smiling Tracey.

"What did he want?" Tracey asked.

"He wants me to save him a dance at the ball," Daphne said as they walked to the dungeons.

"I told you! The boy is gonna be all over you at the ball," Tracey said. "We'll get you a sexy dress that will blow him away."

Daphne grumbled about not wanting any attention and that Tracey was the one with all the 'sexy' dresses not her. Tracey pursed her lips, but inwardly she was grinning. Daphne was one step closer to being happy for once. She only hoped that Percy didn't turn out to be a jerk. She doubted it, but you could never be too sure. So far no guy had ever proven themselves to be trustworthy. Theodore Nott had tried to date Daphne at one point last year. He had acted all sweet and kind, and Daphne had begun to open up just a little bit when the bastard had revealed his true intentions. Since then, Daphne had closed herself off even more. Being around Percy was the most of Daphne's true self Tracey had seen in a very long time. She turned to see his fading form as he ran down the hallway. Daphne was humming quietly to herself, looking back at him as well. Tracey smiled. Daphne was falling, and if she wasn't careful, she wouldn't be able to get back up. Perhaps, Tracey thought, perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing.

The days before the Yule Ball flew by quickly. Snow fell consistently every day, and the group of friends spent most of their time out by the lake throwing snowballs. Ron was introduced to the two Slytherin girls, and though he was woefully distrustful of Daphne and Tracey, his trust in Percy kept him from doing anything he'd regret. He didn't take part in the snowball fights, claiming he needed to keep an eye on the Slytherins. Percy simply rolled his eyes, and made sure that Daphne and Tracey continued to feel welcome.

Harry and Percy continued to work on footwork. Harry was getting better and better, but still had a lot of work to do. As they practiced, Harry felt a stronger bond with the older boy. Percy was everything he wanted in an older brother. He teased and messed with him without going overboard and always took Harry's responses in stride. Ron joined Harry and Percy occasionally, but he was too stubborn to want to learn how to dance. Percy had insisted he learn after Ron managed to ask Padma Patil to the Ball only a few days before the event. Ron refused saying he wouldn't be dancing. Percy felt bad for Padma and made a mental note to ask her for a dance.

The night before the Ball, Harry sat staring into the fireplace of the common room. He had been sitting there for hours, not realizing the lateness of the hour. The fire crackled, and the wood popped, but Harry didn't flinch. The prophecy was racing through his mind. Ever since he had arrived at Hogwarts, Harry had been facing Voldemort in some fashion. First year, there was Quirrell who had turned out to be holding Voldemort on his bloody head. Voldemort had tried to steal the philosopher's stone to achieve immortality, but Harry, Hermione, and Ron had thwarted him. In second year, Voldemort had possessed Ginny Weasley and used her to open the Chamber of Secrets. No one had died, but it was a terrifying year. Harry had been forced to fight a basilisk in order to rescue Ginny, and if it weren't for Fawkes the phoenix, he'd be dead. Last year was the only year that had not involved Voldemort directly, but it had still been an eventful year. Sirius Black, the man who had supposedly betrayed Harry's parents, had escaped from Azkaban in order to hunt Harry. Then, it turned out that Sirius was in fact innocent, and that Ron's pet rat, Scabbers, was actually Peter Pettigrew. Peter had been the one to betray Harry's parents. They had tried to arrest Peter, but when Professor Lupin had transformed under the full moon, Peter escaped. Sirius was still a wanted man, and Harry had no clue where he was.

"Harry?"

Harry turned from the fire. "Hey, Hermione. Couldn't sleep?"

Hermione sat down on the couch beside him. She was dressed in her nightgown, and her already bushy hair had an extra tangle. "Not really. What are you doing still awake?"

"Didn't feel like going to sleep," he said with a shrug. "Too much on my mind, I guess."

"Want to talk about it?"

"Just thinking of everything we've gone through here at Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?" she asked softly.

"Like Quirrell first year, the Chamber second year, and Peter last year," Harry said. "Every year has been intense, and this year we find out that the Greek myths are real and that a Greek goddess is siding with Voldemort."

Hermione nodded. "It's a lot to process."

"I'm glad Percy is here," Harry said. "I don't know what I would do if I were stuck in the tournament. As much as I feel awful about him having to take my place, I'm a little relieved if that makes any sense."

"Sure," Hermione said, "you feel guilty that someone has to go through this for you, but you're also glad not to have that stress and burden on you."

"Exactly," Harry said with a nod, looking back to the fire. "Do you think that after everything is over, if we defeat Voldemort, I mean, do you think that Percy will stay?"

Hermione shrugged. "I honestly don't know. I hope he does."

"He isn't the biggest fan of magic."

"That doesn't mean he doesn't enjoy being here," Hermione countered. "I don't think he'll just walk away from us. Do you?"

"I hope not," he said quietly. "He's like a brother to me."

Hermione smiled at her friend. She cared deeply for Harry and was very happy to see him bonding so well with someone. He and Sirius had a strong connection, but Sirius was on the run and couldn't be here for Harry. "Well, between you and me, I think he will have another reason to stay."

Harry turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Oh yeah? What's that?"

"Daphne," Hermione said smugly.

"Daphne?" Harry looked confused. "Why would Daphne be a reason?"

Hermione rolled her eyes and his cluelessness. "She has a crush on him, and I think that Percy is starting to like her too."

"Wait," Harry said, turning completely on the couch to face her. "Daphne has a crush on Percy? Isn't she the Ice Queen?"

"That's what people call her," Hermione pursed her lips. "She puts on a mask to keep people at arms length from her, but that doesn't mean she can't feel anything. She's got it bad for Percy."

Harry shook his head. "That is so weird."

"So if they got together you wouldn't be happy for them?"

"I would," Harry nodded. "I honestly would. I just find the idea strange to think about."

Hermione rolled her eyes but chuckled. "It would be a little weird, I admit that. I've known Daphne for years and never heard her talk about anybody like this before. I'm glad it's Percy though. They're good for each other."

"You think so?" asked Harry.

Hermione nodded. "Very much so. Percy needs someone to ground him in reality, and Daphne is perfect for that. Daphne needs someone to show her love and kindness and respect, and Percy is definitely that person."

Harry mulled it over for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I can see that."

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens," Hermione said. She looked up at the clock on the mantel. "I'm going to go back to bed. Have a goodnight, Harry."

"Night, 'Mione," he said, looking back to the fire. He thought about Percy leaving after everything was over. It felt like a pit was burning in his gut. If Daphne was what it took to keep Percy here, Harry would be completely on board with their relationship, and maybe perhaps they would actually work well together.

Percy and Harry stood in the common room. It was the night of the Yule Ball, and Harry could not have been any more nervous than he already was. Percy himself was anxious but for a completely different reason. He had assumed that he would be wearing a very nice tuxedo. Instead, he was stuck wearing what was suppose to be nice dress robes. He thought he looked stupid, though he had gotten many appreciative looks from the other girls in Gryffindor as they headed down to the Ball. He glanced at his watch. He had twenty minutes before he was supposed to be down at the Ball to do the opening dance.

"Why does it take so long?" asked Harry. Percy shrugged.

"Don't ask me, man. I have no idea."

A few minutes later, Parvati and Ginny came down the stairs. Percy walked up to them and smiled brightly.

"You ladies look beautiful," he said. Harry nodded bashfully as he stepped up to Parvati and offered his arm. Parvati, dressed in a beautiful, purple silk sari, smiled sweetly at him. Harry was dressed in dark green dress robes that complimented him quite well.

"You clean up nicely," she told him. Harry blushed.

"You look really pretty."

Percy rolled his eyes at Harry, but grinned. He looked down at Ginny who was dressed in a very nice black dress. Her already firey hair seemingly glowed. Percy smiled at her. "You're gonna turn some heads tonight."

"I hope so," she grinned back, taking his arm. "I think you will too."

Percy's dress robes were jet black with green lining. They were rather heavy, but Percy had already grown accustomed to wearing robes. He had trimmed his growing beard giving his face a very pointed, and profound look. He fit the part of the Greek myth perfectly.

"Is Hermione almost ready?" asked Percy.

"She should be down any minute," Ginny nodded. As if on cue, Hermione came down the steps. She wore a baby blue dress, and her normally untamed hair looked as though it had been professionally curled. Percy and Harry's eyes widened.

"Bloody hell, Hermione!" Harry said. Hermione grinned, though her cheeks burned bright red.

"Language," she muttered, though she was pleased by the reaction. Percy smiled at her and kissed her cheek.

"You look lovely, Hermione," he said. She smiled at him.

"Are we ready to go down?" she asked. Everyone nodded and they left the common room. The hallways were rather empty as everyone else was already down at the Ball. When they arrived, Harry and Parvati waved goodbye and wished Percy and Ginny good luck on the dance as they went inside the Great Hall. Hermione, though, stayed right beside them.

"Where is your mystery date?" asked Ginny.

"He should be-there he is!"

Percy turned to where Hermione was pointing and was shocked to see Viktor Krum come walking towards them.

"You look vundervul, Hermeynee," he said, kissing her hand. Hermione giggled, and Ginny shared a look with Percy.

"You two are going together?" asked Percy. "When did this happen?"

"I saw her in da library," Krum said. "I thought she looked pretty, and I vanted to ask her."

"Well good for you two," Percy said with a smile. "We should go find McGonagall before she has an aneurysm."

They went to the same place where Percy and the other champions had gathered after their names had come out of the goblet. McGonagall was waiting anxiously for them as were Fleur Delacour, her date, and Cedric and Cho.

"You four are late," said McGonagall. If she was surprised by Viktor and Hermione being together, she did not show it. "The band is waiting for you all. As soon as I open the door, you will file out and get ready to dance as soon as the music begins."

She pulled the couples into a line with Fleur and her date first, Cedric and Cho second, Hermione and Viktor third, and Percy and Ginny last. She stood at the door and with a last look over them all, opened the doors. The champions and their dates filed into the Great Hall. Percy was very impressed with the decorations. Golden streamers and curtains lined the walls giving the room a nice glow. The students were on the dance floor with a large opening for the champions.

Percy took Ginny's left hand in his right and placed his left hand on her waist. The music began as soon as all the couples were ready, and Percy led his date through the waltz. They both laughed as Percy overexaggerated his dancing. He figured it would be more entertaining for himself if he pretended he was on one of those televised dance competitions than at a high school prom. Finally, the song ended and the room erupted in applause. Everyone left the dance floor for their tables, and Percy walked Ginny to the head table with the other champions.

Sitting at one end of the table was a young man with bright red hair. Percy immediately recognized him as being one of the Weasleys. The man waved at Ginny and pointed at the seat next to him. Ginny pretended to have not seen him and took Percy to the opposite end next to Viktor and Hermione.

"Is that your brother?" asked Percy as they sat down. Ginny nodded.

"That's Percy," she said. Percy formed an 'o' with his mouth. Percy Weasley had walked away from the family, deeming work more important.

"Ah, I gotcha," Percy said. "The other Percy."

Menus appeared magically before them, and Percy looked it over. There was an option for fish and for steak. Percy immediately chose the steak. He looked around for a waiter but saw no one. He turned to the table and found everyone else already eating.

"How did you get your food?" he asked Ginny. She snorted and chuckled.

"Just look at your plate and tell it what you want."

Percy looked down at his plate, and quite uneasily, said "steak with mashed potatoes and gravy." His meal popped onto his plate, and he grinned.

"So Percy," said Cedric from across the table. "How on earth did you manage to _punch a dragon_?"

The others at the table stopped eating and looked at Percy expectantly. Percy simply shrugged and took a bite of his steak.

"I made a fist with my hand and hit the dragon," he said. "It was pretty simple actually."

Ginny and Hermione both snorted while everyone else looked at him as though he had lost his mind. Percy grinned at them and went back to eating.

"I cannot believe you are last place," said Viktor. "You vere the only vwone to not be hurt."

"I just didn't use any magic," Percy said. "Though, yes I agree it is stupid I got so few points."

The conversations turned much lighter, with Viktor and Fleur asking everyone else questions about Hogwarts. Percy, being new, was content to sit back and listen to everything.

"You have potions in ze dungeons?" asked Fleur. " _Mon dieu_ zat is dangerous."

"Where do you have potions?" asked Hermione.

"In a room on ze top floor," Fleur said. "It has proper...how do you say? Ventilation?"

"It is the same for us," said Viktor. "Da fumes are too strong if you are cooped up."

Hermione frowned, not happy to hear that Hogwarts was doing something so wrong. When everyone had finished both dinner and dessert, the band began playing again. Couples left their tables and went out on the dance floor. Percy stood up and offered his hand to Ginny.

"Care to dance?"

Ginny smiled and nodded and they left to go dance. The other champions followed soon after. As they danced, Percy looked around the room for Daphne. He couldn't see her anywhere, so he figured she was still sitting down at one of the tables. Ginny herself was looking around for her other yearmates. Spotting a few, she excused herself, hugged Percy in thanks, and left to go talk with her friends. Percy headed to the drink table and found Ron and Padma sitting at their table staring at the dance floor. He frowned and approached them.

"Ron, do you mind if I dance with Padma?" he asked. Ron shrugged and waved them off. Padma huffed at her date, but smiled at Percy. They headed to the dance floor, and Percy led her through a dance.

"I'm sorry about Ron," he said. "He's rather clueless."

Padma rolled her eyes. "He's worse than clueless. Thank you for dancing with me."

Percy grinned. "Of course."

A fourth year Ravenclaw tapped Percy on the shoulder. "Do you mind if I cut in?"

Percy looked at Padma who smiled and nodded. Percy grinned and left them to dance, glad that Padma's evening hadn't been completely ruined. He turned around to look for Ron but found his seat empty. Percy shrugged and went to the dance table to finally get something to drink.

"Enjoying your evening, Jackson?"

Percy turned and found Daphne standing next to him, getting a glass of punch. She wore an elegant, silk dress. It was a black dress that clung tightly to her form and left his mouth extraordinarily dry. He took a drink of his punch. "I am, yes, Greengrass. Thank you for asking. How is your evening going?"

Daphne turned to him, her blue eyes burning into his. "It would be much better if I got to dance."

"No one has asked to dance?" he asked with genuine surprise.

"They've asked," she shrugged. "But I haven't found anybody I'd like to dance with. Yet."

Percy finished his punch and put the empty glass on the table. He held his hand out to Daphne. "Dance with me?"

Daphne's expressionless facade crumbled, and she gave him a brilliant smile. "I'd love to."

Percy led her to the dance floor just as the band began playing a rather slow song. He took a deep breath and put both of his hands on her waist in the proper, mortal prom dance style. Daphne ran her hands around his neck, standing close enough to him that she could rest her head directly on his chest if she wanted. Percy took another deep breath. She smelled of lilac and gooseberries.

Daphne herself felt her heart pounding in her chest. With how close she was to him, she was afraid that he would be able to hear it. She had never danced with a boy in her life. Sure, she had danced with her father at times at balls growing up, but she'd always ignored any boy's question to dance with her. She was glad she had waited. Glad that Percy was her first dance. She looked up at him, loving his sea green eyes and neatly trimmed beard. She also loved that he looked every bit as flustered as she felt.

"What's wrong, Percy?" she whispered to him. She saw his Adam's apple bob as he swallowed.

"I...er...nothing."

"You faced a dragon with your bare hands, and you're nervous around a girl?" she teased. Percy nodded.

"I am much more terrified right now."

She ran her fingers through his hair without thinking. "Why? You're a god."

Percy looked around to make sure no one was overhearing them. With the music it would be hard, so he looked back down at her. "I'm a demigod not a god. It is perfectly normal to be nervous around a gorgeous girl."

Daphne flashed another brilliant smile at him. Percy smiled back. Maybe Hermione had been right. Maybe he could be happy with Daphne. They danced through the entire song, swaying slowly. At one point, Daphne rested her head on Percy's chest, just below his chin. He pulled her closer to him. The moment was perfect. They basked in the closeness they felt, something neither had ever felt in their lives. All too soon, the song ended and they pulled away from each other not enough to let go, but enough to be able to look at the other.

"Enjoying your evening, Greengrass?" he whispered. Daphne hugged him tightly, throwing away her Ice Queen facade completely for a brief moment.

"The best," she whispered into his ear. She bravely kissed his cheek before pulling away and letting go. "I should go find Tracey."

Percy smiled and nodded. "Have a good night, Daphne."

"You too, Percy," she smiled back. "Thank you for the wonderful dance."

"It was my pleasure," he said. She gave one last smile before walking away to find her friend. Percy grinned to himself. Yes, he was forming quite a strong crush on the Slytherin girl. For the first time in months, Percy felt as though living wouldn't be the worst. In the back of his mind he vaguely felt Grover muttering 'I told you so.' Percy rolled his eyes and went back to the drink table, never noticing the sinister glare from the blonde haired ferret from across the hall.

Percy reached the table and poured himself a glass of water. He took a sip and felt all of his energy return. He sighed deeply in relaxation when the band finished their next song.

"Thank you Hogwarts!" said the lead singer. Percy frowned. The voice was eerily familiar. "We had an awesome evening playing for you all! Before we go, I would like to introduce for the first time ever, our newest drummer! Ladies and gentlemen, the new drummer of the Weird Sisters...Will Solace! Thank you Hogwarts and goodnight!"

The hall applauded, and Will stood up. Percy's jaw dropped seeing the familiar face. He pushed through the crowd to reach the stage just as the band was putting their things away. Up close, Percy realized why the voice was so familiar. It was Fred. Or rather, it was Apollo in his mortal persona. Apollo looked up when Percy approached and smiled broadly.

"Percy! So good to see you, dude!"

Percy frowned at him. "What are you doing here, Fred?"

"Playing music, obviously," Apollo deadpanned. Percy rolled his eyes.

"You know what I mean."

Apollo grinned and hopped off the stage beside Percy. Several students watched them in confusion but none were close enough to hear. Apollo pulled Percy into a hug.

"It's good to see you, Perce. I never got a chance to thank you for everything you did."

Percy shrugged. "It's in the past."

Apollo nodded, knowing not to press the matter. "Zeus told the council about the upcoming conflict with Hecate. He said that you would need allies."

"So you're here to help?" Percy asked. "I thought you were bound by the ancient laws?"

"I am," Apollo shrugged. "I can't help you directly, but I will be around to help provide medical support if I can. Or at least, Will can."

Percy turned to see his old friend hop off the stage. He looked at Will's feet and felt the weight of guilt return. Will's right leg from the knee down was a prosthetic. During the last battle, Will had been crushed by a cyclops' club. His leg had to be amputated. Will smiled brightly at Percy.

"Heya, Perce, it's good to see you again."

"Will, I'm so-"

Will waved his hand. "Knock it off, Perce. It's not your fault. Plus, it's not like I can't get around at all."

Percy shrugged. "I'm still sorry about it all. I'm sorry about...I'm sorry about Nico."

Will nodded slowly, tears forming in his eyes. "Me too." He wiped a tear. "So dad says that you're getting yourself into another war?"

"You could say that," Percy said. "We shouldn't talk about it here, there are too many ears."

Will nodded and gave Percy a firm hug. "We'll be around in London to help you whenever you need it."

"We've got a few concerts coming up," Apollo grinned. Percy eyed him.

"How exactly did you two join a popular wizarding band?"

"I convinced the band to go on a hiatus in the Caribbean," Apollo said with another grin. "No one will know any better."

Percy rolled his eyes but smiled at the two of them. "Thank you for being here. It means a lot to me."

"Well," Apollo said, "Artemis and her hunters have already come, so I couldn't possibly let them show me up like that. Speaking of which, I think I have a new haiku!"

Percy groaned. "You know, that sounds amazing, but I need to get going. I need to go find my date."

Will waved goodbye as Apollo began spouting off his haiku. Percy waved back and left before he would be stuck listening to the Greek god's horrendous poetry. He walked through the tables trying to spot Ginny when he found her just outside the hall. He walked up to her and found that there was actually quite a large crowd at the foot of the steps.

"...he's trouble!" shouted Ron. "He's the enemy! How could you betray Harry like that!"

"Viktor is a gentleman, Ronald!" Hermione shouted back. "He was very kind to me all evening. That's more than I can say for the way you treated Padma all night."

Ron's face exploded into an impressive shade of red. "I'm sure you'd say that about any guy you spread your legs for wouldn't you?"

Percy snarled at Ron's words, but Ginny was already way ahead of him. She marched forward and slapped her brother who collapsed to the ground. He grabbed his cheek in pain and looked up at his sister in fear.

"What the hell, Ginny!"

"Don't ever speak to Hermione like that again, you stupid idiot!" Ginny snarled. Percy left them on the steps, and raced after Hermione who had left, crying.

He found her sitting in the Gryffindor common room in the corner, curled up in a ball. Her body shook with her sobs. Percy sighed and moved to sit next to her on the couch. "Ron is an idiot, 'Mione. He didn't mean what he said. At least I hope not. He's just so jealous."

Hermione sniffled but didn't look at him. "Why would he be jealous? He should know I would never betray Harry!"

"He's jealous because the boy has a crush on you," Percy said. "An obvious one too."

Hermione turned to look at him. Her eyes were bloodshot from her tears, and her mascara ran down her cheeks. "He has a crush on me?"

Percy nodded. "He's a child. He has a crush on you and got jealous when you came to the ball with someone he considers so much better than himself."

"He really hurt me," she whispered, tears still falling. Percy nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"Ginny is beating him up right now."

"She is?"

Percy nodded. "Slapped him right across the face."

Hermione gave a weak smile. "He deserved it."

"He did," Percy agreed. "You are a beautiful and amazing girl, Hermione. You're too good for any guy. I know it's hard, but don't let Ron get to you too much. He's just a child."

Hermione sniffled and hugged Percy back. "Thank you, Percy. You're such a good friend."

"I can say the same about you," he smiled. Suddenly, Hermione pulled back and looked at him inquisitively.

"How did your dance with Daphne go?" her tone implied she already knew. Percy gave a weak smile.

"It was...amazing actually." He shrugged. "I really like her."

"You should ask her to Hogsmeade."

"Like on a date?"

She nodded.

Percy leaned back on the couch. "I think I might." He looked at Hermione. "Alright, let it out."

"I told you so," Hermione said with a laugh. "I knew you'd be perfect together."

"I wouldn't go that far," Percy protested. "It was just one dance. Give it more time before you say something like that."

"Whatever you say," she grinned. She touched her cheek and looked at the runny mascara on her finger. "I'm going to go and clean up." She stood up and looked at the boy who had become her best friend and older brother. "Thank you for everything, Percy."

Percy smiled at her. "Anytime." He looked around the common room. "Wait, before you go, do you know where Harry is?"

Hermione shrugged. "He and Tracey shared the last dance together. I think he might have walked her to the dungeons."

Percy thanked her and waved goodnight as she headed up to her dorm to get cleaned up just as the other Gryffindors began turning up. Harry and Tracey, huh? He thought to himself. Tonight had certainly turned out much stranger than he had imagined.

"That's incredible," said Phoebe. "So Hecate's legacies all have magical powers?"

"Basically," Artemis said, "and her strongest legacy, Tom Riddle, was supposedly destroyed when he attacked the Potters."

"Harry Potter is the boy Percy was brought here to train and protect correct?" asked another hunter.

"Yes he is," Thalia said. "Though he was tricked by Hecate and Morpheus into believing that he was here solely to help."

The hunters all looked confused. Thalia sighed. "Hecate blames Percy for the deaths of her children during the Battle of Manhattan. Her intention is that Percy will be killed in the war between Riddle and Potter."

"And according to Thanatos," Artemis continued, "Hecate has completely lost her mind and is siding with Riddle in the upcoming conflict."

"So we have to support a _boy_?" asked a hunter. Many of the hunters grimaced at the idea.

Artemis nodded. "We do not have to interact with Potter at all, but it is our duty to fight evil, and Hecate is that and much more. If Voldemort defeats Potter and Percy, his next target will be the rest of the world."

"So what do we do, milady?" asked Phoebe.

"We will make camp in the forest around the magical castle," Artemis said, "and when the time comes, we will fight alongside Percy again."

"How can we even trust any of this?" asked a hunter. "We can't trust men."

"This is an order from Zeus himself," Thalia said. "Percy is gathering allies within the magical community the rest of us on the Greek side must fight together if we want to stop Hecate."

"Thalia is right," said Artemis. "Zeus has called for Olympus to stand together to fight against Hecate. The other gods cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals, but we can. Zeus has ordered us to stand watch and fight with Percy. We owe him a tremendous debt." The hunter grumbled but didn't fight back. All the hunters, as much as they loathed to admit it, rather liked Percy. He was, of course, the only boy Zoe had ever been friends with. Artemis nodded, when she saw them all consent, and began pointing at the tents. "Get everything packed and ready to move. We leave for the Forbidden Forest tonight."

"Milk Nagini, Wormtail," said the bundle in the chair. The fat wizard stuttered and trembled as the massive snake slithered beside him.

"Is this necessary, master?" Wormtail whimpered.

"Do it," the bundle hissed. Wormtail twitched in fear as he followed the snake out of the room to milk it. Voldemort, in the form of a distorted baby, glared at his retreating form. "What a worthless idiot."

"You could do much better than him," said a feminine voice from behind his chair. Voldemort's eyes widened, and he felt his body go rigid.

"Hecate."

"Hello Tom," the goddess said, stepping around to look at him. "My do you look hideous."

"Where have you been?" Voldemort asked. "You promised to stand by me during the war. I lost everything."

"Not everything," Hecate said. "You will still have your chance to kill the Potter boy."

"How? My servants failed to get him into the tournament."

"They failed at my hand," she said. "Perseus Jackson, who took Potter's place, is a much more dangerous foe. We must kill him first before you can kill Potter."

Voldemort glared at her. "You had Jackson replace Potter? Why not kill him out right?"

"It is not so simple," Hecate sneered. "He is protected by Olympus, and he is gathering an army to oppose us."

"We must strike him soon then," Voldemort said.

"You will leave Perseus to me," Hecate said. "Your focus will be on regaining your power."

"How do you suggest I do that?"

"There is a ritual you can perform. You will need to bring Harry here."

"How will I do that?"

"I already have a plan," Hecate said. "It will be during the tournament's final task. Until then, though, there is something we can do to strike at both Potter and Jackson."

"What is that?"

Hecate gave him the barest details of her plan. Voldemort laughed maniacally. Finally, after so many years of being in this hideous form, he would be able to regain his power and bring the wizarding world to its knees before him. Once Hecate revealed the ritual, she vanished from the room.

"It is done, my lord," said Wormtail reentering the room.

"Contact Crouch," Voldemort said. "There is much to do."

"What are you planning, master?"

Voldemort sneered. "Get out."

 **A/N: It's been a very long time, and I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Life has been brutal for me lately, but I don't want to go into much detail here. What I do want to say is that you should all join my Discord server. You may be wondering, what is Discord? Why should I join? 1)Discord is similar to Skype and Teamspeak. It is 100% free and allows for a lot of easy chatting that online forums don't provide. 2)I am very active on Discord. I will ask for advice on upcoming chapters, ask for story ideas, and I am planning on having a day at some point this summer where I will invite everyone to join me as I write an upcoming chapter. If you are at all interested in this, go to my twitter account ( realSweets10). I have the link to my Discord server pinned at the very top. (Discord is on both desktop and mobile so you can have it anywhere).**

 **Well...that is my self promotion for today. If you have questions about Discord shoot me a PM. As for this story, thank you so much to everyone that followed, favorited, and reviewed. You guys are seriously the best. Until next time! (which hopefully won't be in a month ;) )**

 **Also, I'm sure you can tell, Harry/Tracey won the pairing poll. I hope you are as excited to see how that plays out as I am!**


	15. Chapter 15

"They look happy." The voice broke Tracey out of her musings and she turned.

"Who?"

Harry held out a glass of punch to her. "Daphne and Percy."

Tracey took the glass with a smile and sipped at it as she turned back to watch her best friend dancing with her crush. "They do don't they?"

"I haven't seen Percy relax like that," Harry said.

"Do you know much about his past?"

"I know a lot of it yeah," he admitted. "He didn't tell me though. We went and asked his grandpa, Mr. Brunner."

"And Brunner just told you everything?"

Harry shrugged. "He told us a lot of Percy's past. His adventures and stuff. Didn't really give a lot of detail though."

Tracey nodded and looked back at the dancing pair, a smile tugging at her lips. Daphne looked so happy and carefree.

"Would you like to dance?"

Tracey turned sharply to him. "What?"  
Harry blushed. "Would you like to dance?"

"I thought you were here with Parvati," she asked.

"She's dancing with someone else," he shrugged. "We came as friends, and had a good time earlier. So, dance?"

Tracey smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

Harry smiled back and took her glass of punch, placing hers and his on a nearby table. He offered her his hand and led her to the dance floor. Harry had learned how to do the waltz with Percy, but he wasn't exactly prepared for dancing to a slow song like this. Thankfully, Tracey took initiative and placed her hands on his shoulders. He hesitated for a brief moment before placing his hands on her waist. Tracey grinned at him.

"Relax, Potter, I'm not gonna bite."

Harry grinned back. "You're not so bad, Davis. For a Slytherin."

"You're not so bad either...for a Gryffindor," she teased back. She turned her head slightly to look over at where Daphne and Percy were swaying slowly to the song. "He's good for her."

"Percy?"

Tracey nodded. "Daphne has been the Ice Queen for so long I was afraid the real her wouldn't come back."

"She won't hurt him will she?" asked Harry with genuine concern for his brother.

"Of course not!" Tracey said, looking affronted. "Daphne would never hurt anybody unless they deserve it."

"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly. "I just...Percy has come to be like a brother to me, and I don't want to see him hurt. He's already having a hard time as it is."

"Does this have to do with his camp getting attacked over the summer?" she asked.

Harry shrugged. He lowered his voice so no one could hear their conversation. "I don't really think it's my place to say, but between you and me, Percy has had one hell of a hard life."

"Hard how?" Tracey asked.

"You'd have to ask him or Mr. Brunner," he said, shaking his head. "It's not my story to tell, and I doubt I could do it justice."

"So you believe Percy about there being a war coming?"

Harry nodded. "I do. Dumbledore would not have brought Percy here if it wasn't true."

Tracey pursed her lips.

"You don't believe it?"

She sighed. "It's not that I think Percy is lying, I just need more proof."

"I think I understand that," Harry said. "I guess if I were in your shoes I would be much more wary of it all too."

Tracey smiled and tapped his chest with a finger. "Who are you and what have you done with the brooding and angry Harry Potter?"

Harry scowled. "Brooding and angry?"

"Yep," she said, "you can't deny that you have a reputation for brooding and having a temper."

"I don't brood," he said sullenly. Tracey smirked at his pout. He rolled his eyes and gave her a shrug. "I don't know, I guess this year just changed things for me. I hate to admit it, but I really did act like a prat the last few years."

"You are still a prat at times," she teased. Harry tickled her sides, making her squirm and laugh. "I'm just teasing. I have noticed a change in you, even before we started spending time in the library together. I think not being around Weasley has been good for you."

Harry sighed and looked over to where Ron was sitting at a table by himself, scowling in Hermione's direction. "He's still my best friend. We've gone through so much together."

"But?"

"But he is still really immature about different things," Harry admitted. "I would probably care more about my grades if I didn't listen to his rants about homework so much."

"You're doing much better in class now that you're studying with us," Tracey offered. "And I don't think you should separate yourself from him, maybe just try and get him more involved in things. He just seems to be quite jealous."

"He is," Harry nodded. He shrugged. "I don't know, I guess it would be good to try and bring Ron to our study sessions, but I highly doubt he'd want to..."

"Because Daphne and I are Slytherins?"

Harry blushed and nodded.

Tracey smiled softly at him. "It's okay, I figured already. I appreciate that you don't seem to hate us."

"Of course not!" Harry said. "I rather like spending time with you two."

"Oh, is that so?" teased Tracey, her hands running down his neck as she enjoyed his slight squirm.

"I...er...I-"

"You guys know the song ended don't you?" said Daphne, standing next to them with a grin.

Tracey and Harry blushed and pulled apart. Daphne laughed. "My, you two look like you've just been caught in a broom cupboard."

If it were possible, their blushes deepend.

"We were just having a good conversation," muttered Harry. Daphne rolled her eyes.

"I'm sure," she drawled.

"What about you, Daph?" asked Tracey, her blush under control. "We saw you and Jackson getting all nice and cozy together."

Daphne, impressively, kept herself from blushing. "We had a nice dance together, yes."

"It looked like much more than just a 'nice' dance," Tracey teased.

Daphne shrugged, though she couldn't keep the grin off her face. "How about some water?"

Harry looked up to see the Great Hall's mirroring of the sky above. "It's pretty late, I think the ball is over anyways."

They looked around and saw the band putting their things away. They noticed Percy speaking with the lead singer and the drummer, hugging the drummer, and frowned in confusion.

"How does he know the Weird Sisters?" asked Tracey.

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea."

Daphne hummed. "We should get back to the dorms, Tracey."

Tracey nodded and gave Harry a smile. "Thanks for the dance."

"Anytime," he smiled back. He looked at the two of them. "Would you mind if I walked you two to your dorms?"  
"We can take care of ourselves, Potter," Daphne said haughtily.

"I know," he said with blush. "Just wanted to be nice."

"That's sweet," Tracey said, slapping Daphne's arm playfully, "but we shouldn't reveal where our dorms are. Especially to the Gryffindor Golden Boy."

"It's behind the stone wall just a little bit down from the portrait of the Bloody Baron," Harry grinned.

"How do you know that?" the girls practically shrieked.

Harry laughed. "In second year, Hermione made a Polyjuice Potion, and Ron and I pretended to be Crabbe and Goyle. We wanted to know if Draco was the heir."

"That minx!" Tracey shouted. "We've known Hermione since first year and she never once mentioned that!"

"How do we know you're not lying?" asked Daphne.

"You have several portraits of famous, Medieval Slytherins. There are windows that show the lake making the room glow greenish," Harry said, remembering his trip two years ago.

Daphne and Tracey's mouths dropped open.

"Bloody hell," muttered Daphne. "Fine, you can walk us down, but only if you promise to show us the Gryffindor common room."

"Deal," Harry nodded.

Tracey thought about teasing Daphne about her true intentions for going to the Gryffindor common room, but decided against it. Not in front of Harry. Daphne nodded at him. "Alright then, let's get going." She glanced one last time in Percy's direction before walking out of the Great Hall with Harry and Tracey. They waved goodnight to Hermione just as Ron started to approach her, and headed down to the dungeons, completely missing the row taking place.

When they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, Daphne told Harry goodnight and went inside. Tracey, however, lingered in the door. Harry couldn't help but admire how beautiful the Slytherin girl was. She had dark brown hair that was in a rather elegant knot and dark brown eyes. Her blue dress complimented her form wonderfully.

"Thank you for the dance, Potter," she said with a smile. Harry smiled back.

"Call me Harry."

She seemed to mull it over for a moment before nodding. "Alright, Harry. I'm leaving tomorrow for holiday, so Happy Christmas."

Harry smiled again-he was doing that rather frequently around Tracey. "Happy Christmas, Tracey."

The Slytherin gave one last smile before entering her common room and leaving Harry alone in the dungeons. Harry turned and began heading up the steps to the Grand Entry. As he began heading up he ran into Percy.

"Harry, there you are!" Percy said. Harry frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"You'll never guess what Ron did."

««‡»»

Ron was just about to fall asleep when the door to the dorm slammed open and a furious Harry Potter stormed up to his bed. With a wave of Harry's wand, Ron's sheets flew off the bed.

"What the bloody-"

Harry snarled and cast a stinging hex at Ron's arm. "How dare you do that to Hermione!"

Ron gasped out in pain and rubbed his arm. "I already had to deal with this with Percy, alright? I don't need you getting all on my case too."

"I can't believe you, Ron," Harry growled. "How could you say those things to her?"

"I was angry okay?" Ron snarled back, jumping out of bed. "She kept flirting and dancing around with bloody Krum and talking about how he's such a great seeker!"

"So you told her that she was betraying me?" the look of disbelief was clearly etched on Harry's face. "How is she betraying me?"

"She...she..." Ron deflated slightly. "I don't know! All I know is that I am beyond angry with her and that stupid Krum. 'Viktor is such a good seeker' 'oh Viktor you're so amazing' Gah!"

Ron slammed his fist into the wooden post of his bed, crying out in pain. Harry rolled his eyes.

"I know you like her, Ron, but this jealousy is just plain ugly."

Ron's eyes snapped to Harry, his pain temporarily forgotten. "I do not like her."

"Of course you do!" Harry said. "That's why you got so angry with her! You have a crush on Hermione, and you lashed out at her when she started showing interest in Krum!"

"I do not like her," Ron snarled. "I know what I said was harsh and I took it too far, but I do not like her."

"Then why say she betrayed me?" Harry pressed. "I'm not competing with Krum in any way. I'm not in the bloody tournament. If anything, she'd be betraying Percy and we both know that's not true."

"She should be on your side!" Ron yelled, but his voice cracked. His arguments were falling apart and he knew it. "I'm going to go see Pomfrey." He shoved past Harry and started to leave the room.

"If you don't apologize to her, Ron," Harry called out to him, "I won't forgive you either. You need to apologize to her as soon as possible."

Ron paused at the door then left. Harry sighed and threw Ron's sheets back on his bed and went to his own.

"He didn't mean all of what he said," said Neville from the other side of the room. "I was at the table with Ron all night. Hermione said one thing about Krum being a good seeker, and Ron lost his cool."

"I know he didn't," Harry said, taking his dress robes off. "I just can't believe he said those things to Hermione. Who would ever say such a thing?"

"He's immature and has a crush," Neville said with a shrug. "I just hope he realizes he won't ever get what he wants behaving like that."

Harry nodded and climbed in bed once he had his pajamas on. "I hope so too."

"Night, Harry," Neville said. Harry closed his curtains.

"Night, Nev."

Harry had trouble falling asleep. His mind was racing with too many thoughts. He worried about what Sirius was getting himself up to, he was worried about the war Percy talked about, he worried about Ron and their friendship. It wasn't until his mind settled on a certain pair of brown eyes that he calmed enough to fall asleep. For the first time in months, it wasn't the Ravenclaw seeker that haunted his dreams.

««‡»»

The Yule Ball had originally been intended for Christmas Day. However, as many students wished to be able to attend the ball as well as celebrate the holiday with their families, the tournament directors pushed the date of the Ball up a few days. That meant that Percy could still go and spend time with his mom who he hadn't seen since August. He had spent the entire morning after the Ball packing up all of his clothes for the break. Harry, Ginny, and Hermione, who were staying at Hogwarts, all went with him to the station in Hogsmeade. Ron had still not approached Hermione to apologize and as such, Harry and Ginny refused to talk to him despite Christmas being only a few hours away.

"I left your presents back in the dorm," Percy told them as he hugged them goodbye. "Open them tomorrow."

"We put yours in your bag," Hermione said with a grin. Percy shoved her goodnaturedly.

"I don't need anything."

"Still, we got you something," Ginny laughed. Percy rolled his eyes but smiled at them.

"Thanks, guys. Merry Christmas. I'll see you when I get back."

"Bye Percy!" they waved goodbye as he boarded the train. The compartments were full, and Percy found that he was not a fan of train travel. Compartment after compartment remained full until he reached the very back of the train. Inside, sat two Slytherin girls that beamed at him as he stood in the door.

"Err, hi," he said with an awkward smile. "Didn't realize you two were going home for Christmas."

"We never stay," Tracey said. "Daphne's family has a big party with both our families at her house. Even with the Ball we didn't want to miss it."

"I gotcha," Percy nodded. He entered the compartment, closed the door, and put his suitcase up over the seat. He didn't notice the appreciative looks the girls were giving him. The train started with a jolt, and Percy stumbled backwards, losing his balance and falling right on Daphne's lap. She grunted in surprise as Tracey roared with laughter. Percy blushed and scrambled away to sit across from them. "I am so sorry, Daphne."

The girl blushed and waved him off. "Not your fault."

Tracey continued to laugh until she was hit in the face with a splash of ice cold water. She glared at Percy who simply grinned.

"I'll get you back for that, Jackson."

"Not a chance, Davis."

Daphne rolled her eyes at their banter. "So, any plans for Christmas, Percy?"

Percy shook his head, his blush finally fading. "Not really. Just going to spend time with my mom and step-dad."

"So your dad is a god?" asked Tracey trying to figure out Percy's strange lineage.

"He is," Percy nodded.

"Which one?" asked Daphne. She had always been interested in Greek myths, but it wasn't until that day in the library that she had actually begun studying up on them.

Percy snapped his fingers to surround them in the mist. "Poseidon."

"That makes sense," Daphne said with a nod. Tracey cocked an eyebrow at her. "Poseidon is the god of water."

"He's the god of the oceans and lots of other things," Percy clarified.

"So you're really the son of a Greek god?" asked Tracey.

"You still doubt me?"

Tracey blushed. "Not doubt, really. I'm still just trying to figure all of this out."

Percy smiled at her. "It's okay, I understand. I didn't really believe it at first either."

"What changed your mind?" asked Daphne.

"The Minotaur," Percy said, looking out the window. "It's a rather...long and weird story, but basically, my mom, my friend Grover, and I were being chased by the Minotaur the day I found out I was a demigod."

"You mean the bull thing?" asked Daphne. "The one from the Theseus myth?"

Percy nodded. "The one and the same."

"But how? Wouldn't it be dead by now?"

"The Minotaur is immortal," Percy said. "Many things in the Greek world are immortal. They can die, sure, but eventually they will reform within the pit of Tartarus."

The compartment fell silent as the girls pondered his words. They rode on like that for a few hours. Tracey and Daphne whispered together occasionally until Tracey fell asleep. Percy never turned away from the window. After an hour of seeing him not move, Daphne took initiative and moved over to sit by him. He still didn't turn.

"What are you thinking about?" she asked him softly.

"Just thinking about this past semester," he said. He finally tore his gaze from the window, blinking as though he had just seen the compartment for the first time. "The entire semester has been so...strange and chaotic. It honestly doesn't seem like it's real."

"I feel the same way," Daphne admitted. "Everything you've told us, the tournament...it's not something that happens every day or year."

Percy chuckled humorlessly. "Maybe not for you."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

Percy looked back out of the window. "From the moment I learned I was a demigod, I have fought monster after monster after monster. I'm getting tired of it all. For me it is almost every day. Definitely every year."

"So what do you plan to do? Run away from it all?"

"It's not that easy," Percy said, shaking his head. "They'd find me eventually. They always do."

Daphne frowned. "What about using magic to hide yourself?"

"I'm not very good with magic," Percy admitted. "I'm not a natural with it. It doesn't feel right when I use it."

"How can you use it then?"

"I was blessed by Hecate," he said, "though now I know she only wanted me to come here so that she could kill me eventually."

Daphne blinked. A Greek goddess wanted to kill Percy? The thought of him dying did not sit well with her. Percy gave her a weak smile.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin the mood."

"Not your fault," she said, smiling genuinely at him. Percy returned it before looking out the window again. Daphne did not move from his side, instead pulling out a book and beginning to read. Eventually, she followed Tracey and fell asleep, her head drooping onto Percy's shoulder. He turned to look at her, but didn't move her away. It was rather...nice.

When the Hogwarts Express eventually arrived at King's Crossing, Percy helped the girls take their luggages out off the train. He waved them goodbye but not before handing them each a small package. He waved off their thank yous saying it was nothing and wishing them a Merry Christmas before heading out to find a taxi. The ride back to Privet Drive was long, due to the holiday traffic, and when Percy finally arrived, it was quite dark out. He grabbed his suitcase out of the trunk, paid the driver, and walked up the sidewalk.

"Percy?" called out a voice from upstairs. Percy grinned.

"Hey mom."

««‡»»

Daphne woke up early on Christmas morning to her little sister Astoria jumping on top of her.

"Wake up!" Astoria shrieked. "It's Christmas!"

Daphne growled at her sister and knocked her off the bed. The 2nd year Slytherin giggled uncontrollably and danced out of Daphne's room before Daphne could attack her again. Daphne growled and walked over to her vanity. Her hair was quite a mess, but with a wave of her wand, it looked good as always. She forwent the process of putting on makeup and instead changed out of her pajamas and into a casual jumper and comfortable pants. Everyone was already downstairs sitting around the fireplace, drinking tea and munching on pastries. Daphne smiled at her family and Tracey's, taking a seat next to her best friend.

"She jump on you again?" asked Tracey with a laugh. Daphne glared at her, though a small smile did tug on her lip.

"I threw her off the bed though," Daphne responded. Tracey laughed again and handed Daphne a pastry and a cup of tea which she took gratefully.

"Now that everyone is here," said Daniel Greengrass, "we can open gifts!"

Daphne's father was a tall individual with the same blue eyes as Daphne and a trimmed beard. Everyone said that Daphne was very much like Daniel aside from the fact that Daniel had black hair to Daphne's blonde. The similarities came with their personalities. Both were stern at times, using a mask whenever dealing with people they could not trust. However, both had a mischievous and childlike side. They enjoyed giving gifts and pranking the other members of the family. Astoria shared this with them, though she was much more prim and proper like their mother, Alison.

Both Daphne and Astoria got their beauty from their mother. Alison was not very tall, but she had the figure of a dancer which certainly attracted much attention. Daphne and Astoria were the same, though Daphne had always been the more athletic one between the two of them. Still, Daphne loved her family and their little quirks.

"So Daphne, Tracey tells me you had quite the evening at the Yule Ball," said Alison. Daphne blushed and slapped her friend's arm.

"Tracey!" she hissed.

"Oh, don't get mad at her," Alison said with a laugh. "We would have found out sooner or later. So tell us about this boy you danced with." Astoria grinned at her sister while her dad grew visibly uncomfortable. Daphne opened her mouth but she was too stunned to say anything.

"His name is Percy Jackson," Tracey said for her. "He's a sixth year Gryffindor who just transferred over here from Hogwarts."

"Jackson," muttered Daniel. "Why does that name sound familiar?"

"Isn't that the young man that took Harry Potter's place in the tournament?" asked Michael Davis, Tracey's father.

Tracey nodded. "He's the one that punched the dragon."

Everyone's eyes widened.

"Yes, that's right," Daniel nodded. He looked at Daphne who was sporting a very impressive blush. "So you danced with _him_?"

Daphne nodded her head sheepishly. Daniel sighed. "Well, I was going to threaten whatever boy managed to ever get you to dance, but I guess you just so happened to chose the only one that _I_ could be afraid of."

Tracey laughed. "Percy is a great guy, Mr. Greengrass. He's really nice and always treats us well."

Daniel narrowed his eyes at Daphne. "So you like this Jackson fellow?"

Daphne blushed and Alison smacked her husband in the back of the head. "Behave. It's Christmas. Let them open their gifts in peace without you bombarding them with questions."

Daniel grumbled but conceded and they began opening their gifts. Daphne hadn't gotten very many gifts from her friends, but she honestly hadn't been expecting very many. Hermione got her a book on Greek mythology which made her blush and glare at Tracey who began snickering. Ginny got her some candies and Harry got her a new set of quills and ink. What stunned her though was the gift from Percy. It was a golden necklace with a trident pendant. It looked simple, yet it practically glowed. It was beautiful. Daphne put it around her neck, not seeing the flash of sea green light that spread out from the trident and into her body. Tracey whistled at it.

"That's beautiful, Daph," she said. Daphne could only nod.

"I didn't really get him anything special," she whispered. "This is so much more than what I got him."

"I doubt he'll care," Tracey said. "Percy's not that kind of person."

Daphne shrugged. "Still, I wish I could have gotten him something more special than a jacket."

Tracey patted her friend on the back and began talking with Astoria about the tournament. Daphne didn't listen. Instead, she held up the trident pendant and stared at it with adoration. She closed her eyes and smiled. If only Percy were there with her so she could thank him. She opened her eyes and smiled at everyone that was joking and telling stories. She hoped that someday Percy would get to spend time with her on Christmas. She looked at the pendant again. What was Percy up to?

««‡»»

Harry woke up on Christmas morning to Dobby wailing loudly.

"Harry Potter is the greatest wizard to ever live!" Dobby cried, holding his Christmas sock in his hands and using it to wipe his tears.

"Err, Happy Christmas, Dobby," Harry said, putting his glasses on. The other boys in the dorm all woke up and eyed the house elf with disdain for waking them so early.

"Dobby does not deserve this, Master Harry!"

Harry blushed. "I'm not master."

Dobby snapped his fingers and a large pile of mismatched socks fell on Harry's lap. "Dobby hopes that Harry Potter appreciates his present." His large, bat-like eyes widened expectantly.

Harry smiled at him. "I love it Dobby."

Dobby began wailing and waved his hands in front of his face muttering how Harry was too great before finally popping out of the dorm. Harry looked at his dorm mates. "Sorry about that."

"Not a big deal, Harry," said Seamus. "It's Christmas after all."

The boys scrambled out of bed to find the piles of gifts at the foot of each of their beds. Harry smiled as he opened the gift from Hermione. It was a leather bound copy of _50 Practical Uses of Defense Magic_. From Ginny and Ron he had gotten a broom polishing kit. He smiled and thanked Ron who blushed and waved him off, embarrassed that he had needed to work with his little sister to get Harry a present. Harry, of course, was not surprised to find a Weasley jumper, but he was shocked to find gifts from Daphne and Tracey. From Daphne he got a wrist holster for his wand. He immediately put it on and tested it out. It worked perfectly. From Tracey, though, he received a very nice looking jacket. It looked to be made from some sort of leather. It didn't look wizardy though, it looked rather muggle. He stared at if for a moment before remembering that Tracey was a halfblood like him. Of course she would know about the muggle world. He grinned and placed the jacket on his bed. He would wear it soon.

"Thanks for the jersey," Ron said to him, holding up a gaudy, orange jersey. It was a Chudley Cannons jersey-Ron's favorite Quidditch team. Harry grinned at his friend. The day before, Ron had sat down with Hermione and apologized for what he had said. It wasn't a fantastic apology, but for Ron it was rather impressive.

"No problem, mate," Harry said. "Happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas. Want to head down to breakfast?"

Harry laughed and nodded. They quickly changed out of their pajamas and raced down to the Great Hall. There were hardly any students there at all. In fact, there were only about twenty students left at all. Most were Gryffindors, both the Weasley twins, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and Harry as well as Seamus and Dean. There were a few other students from Ravenclaw and Slytherin but none from Hufflepuff. The head table was full as none of the teachers had left for the holidays. Dumbledore nodded with a twinkle in his eye at Harry as he entered. Harry nodded back and took a seat across from Hermione and Ginny.

The girls thanked him for their gifts. He had given Hermione a book on the history of wizarding schools and a large assortment of chocolates to Ginny. Harry thanked them as well and they began eating breakfast.

"What do we want to do today?" asked Harry.

"We could go outside and visit Hagrid and Chiron," offered Hermione. They all agreed and after they finished breakfast-or rather, once Ron was finished-they headed outside to Hagrid's hut.

"What are you all doing here?" asked Hagrid as he opened the door to let them in. Fang moaned at them and Ginny happily petted the old dog.

"We just wanted to come see how you and Chiron are doing," Harry said.

Hagrid blinked. "You don't know?"

The friends looked at each other. "Do we know what?"

"Chiron left this mornin'," Hagrid said. "Percy's house was attacked early in the mornin'. From what I can tell, it wasn' pretty."

««‡»»

It was a soft whistle outside that woke Percy up. His eyes snapped open in the dead of night. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed Riptide. He slipped out of bed, stepping lightly across his room to the door. The sun was just beginning to rise, and as such, there was hardly any light at all save the light from the amulet around his neck.

"Percy?" came a whisper. Percy turned to see his mom standing in the doorway of her room.

"Get back inside," he whispered back. He didn't wait to see if she listened to him, heading down the steps. The house was eerily quiet. Percy stopped moving to listen carefully. Another whisper from outside, though fainter than it had been when he was in his room upstairs. Percy frowned and went to the front door. It was unlocked. He knew for a fact that Paul locked the doors every night. Percy uncapped Riptide, wincing at the sharp noise of the sword unsheathing, and opened the door.

"Just finish placing the rune and lets get out of here," whispered a voice harshly from the side of the house. Percy froze for a second. Rune? That was magic. Did Hecate send people after him? He crept towards them, careful not to make any sound. Thankfully, the layer of snow on the ground provided enough padding for him to move silently though he needed to concentrate on walking on top and not crushing through it.

"Alright the rune should be almost done," said another voice. Percy peeked around the corner and found two men by the kitchen window. Both wore black robes and silver masks. He narrowed his eyes at them. Were these the Death Eaters that he had heard about? One was kneeling by the house, drawing a rune into the building with his wand. Percy clenched his fist, a pile of snow forming on the ground. He threw his hand forward towards the man carving the rune and the snow, forming into a spike, impaled him in the arm.

"Fuck!" the man shouted, clutching his wounded hand to his chest and dropping his wand to the ground. The man standing up began looking all around.

"What the fuck was that?" he snarled. "I didn't see any spell."

Percy stepped around the corner of the house. "Get off my property."

The two possible Death Eaters turned to him. The wounded one grabbed his wand and held it in a shaking hand at Percy. Percy tapped his watch and his shield sprung to life startling the two men. "I won't tell you again. Get off my property."

" _Reducto!_ " shouted the non-wounded man. The spell raced towards Percy but was deflected by the shield. The two Death Eaters looked at each other before firing volley after volley of spells at him. Percy dodged and deflected what he could, advancing towards them.

The wounded Death Eater, now within arm's reach, made to fire a spell at Percy but Percy slashed his sword. Nothing happened. Everyone froze for a split second, startled and confused, before the two Death Eaters began firing spells again. Confused and dazed by what had happened, Percy scrambled backwards, doing his best not to get hit by a spell. Why hadn't Riptide done anything? Then it clicked. The Death Eater was mortal. Celestial Bronze could not hurt a mortal. Percy cursed at his misfortune and the fact that he had left his wand up in his room. He jumped over the neighbor's fence, using the divider as a temporary shield as he capped Riptide and put it in his pocket. He flexed his hand, preparing to go hand-to-hand with the Death Eaters when the spells ceased. Percy peaked over the fence and found the two men gone.

Percy jumped back over the fence and looked around. The two men had vanished completely. He frowned and knelt down by the spot where one of them had been carving a rune. He tried to think back to his Ancient Runes class to figure out what it was. It looked to be some sort of destruction rune, intended for causing a thermal reaction. Percy uncapped Riptide and was about to slash through the rune when it began to glow purple. The house began to shake and when Percy stood up and ran to the front door, he saw the two Death Eaters standing beneath the streetlamp a few houses down. They waved mockingly at him before one of them waved his wand.

Percy's eyes widened and he turned to look at the house just as it exploded into a mess of splinters and drywall fragments. He held up his shield in front of his face out of instinct though the blast threw him backwards and onto the front yard. He stared in horror as his mom and step-dad's house lay in ruins. Nothing remained. He looked over at where the Death Eaters had been standing but they were gone again. He hauled himself up to his feet and ran to the ruins. He dug through the boards until he found Paul's broken body. Percy felt his eyes tear up as he had grown very fond of Paul, but he forced himself to keep looking. He needed to find his mom.

"Percy?" a quiet voice asked a few feet away. Percy's head shot towards the sound. His mom, her clothes torn, pulled herself to her feet. He rushed over and pulled her into a hug.

"Mom are you okay?"

Before she could answer, there came the sound of several cracks. Percy turned around, arms raised in anticipation of another fight. He relaxed only slightly when he saw that it was Dumbledore, Chiron, and a few other individuals he didn't recognize in wizard robes. Chiron starred in open horror at the destruction. Percy hugged his mom and guided her away from the ruins and to the grass where he had her sit down. He turned and walked over to the others.

"Percy?" whispered Chiron. "What happened here?"

Percy wiped grime off his face. "Two men in black robes and silver masks attacked the house. They placed some form of destruction rune on the side of the building. I tried to stop them, but I..." he coughed and choked on emotion. The image of Paul's broken body fresh on his mind. "Paul is dead."

"And Sally?" asked Chiron. Percy pointed to the other side of the ruins.

"She's fine. I moved her over there." Chiron nodded as Dumbledore and a tall woman with a monocle approached.

"Percy," Dumbledore said, "this is Amelia Bones, director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You need to tell her everything."

Madam Bones pulled out a notepad and a quill which magically hovered over the paper. Percy sighed and told them what had happened. He didn't realize just how short the story was until he spoke it outloud. He told them about being woken up by whispers, how he had found the front door unlocked, how he found the two Death Eaters standing by the house and carving a rune. He told them that he had managed to fight them away from the house but that they ended up blowing the house up anyways. He muttered that his step-dad was dead and that his mother was safe and away from the destruction. Madam Bones' magical quill wrote everything down exactly as Percy said it before flying back into her pouch.

"We will investigate this matter immediately, Mr. Jackson," she said. Her face softened. "I am very sorry for your loss."

"I..." Percy hesitated. "Thank you for your help especially on Christmas."

"Evil never takes a holiday," Madam Bones said before turning to the other wizards and began barking orders. They began waving their wands and the house started slowly repairing itself. Percy frowned and looked around the neighborhood. Where were the neighbors? Wouldn't they have heard the explosion?

"The Death Eaters placed powerful notice-me-not charms and silencing wards around the house," Dumbledore said as though reading his mind. Percy nodded and Chiron placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It'll be okay, Percy. We'll find the ones that did this and make them pay," the old centaur said. Percy nodded again, his eyes growing cold and his mind racing with thoughts of revenge.

"What I cannot understand," said Dumbledore, "is how they managed to get pass the blood wards I have around this neighborhood. Unless..."

"Unless what?" asked Chiron.

Dumbledore looked around at the destruction. "Unless they never had any intention to cause Harry any harm. The blood wards are attached to him. If they came with the sole intention of hurting Percy then they might have just been able to slip by."

"That or Hecate herself could have let them in," Percy said with disgust. "They weren't after me. They were after my mom and Paul."

"How do you know that?" asked Chiron confused.

"An explosion like that would not have killed me," Percy said. "Not with the Achilles curse. No, they wanted to hurt me but not physically."

Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "I am afraid that you must be right, Percy."

Percy nodded, not needing Dumbledore's approval to his theory. "I need to go find my mom and make sure she's okay."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Chiron asked, putting his hands on the wheels of his chair to follow.

Percy shook his head. "No, stay here. Make sure that the wizards don't find anything that may hint to who we are."

"Where is your wand?" asked Dumbledore with a frown. Percy looked to the now only partly ruined house.

"It was in my room." He left them and walked over to where he had left his mom. Sally was still sitting on the grass. She looked up as Percy approached and stood up.

"This wasn't your fault, Perce," she said softly. Percy rubbed at his eyes.

"Paul's dead," he rasped out. "This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for me."

Sally pulled Percy into a hug. She was cold though she did not appear to be bothered by the snow or chilly air at all. Percy collapsed against her. Sally led him away from the house and down the street to the small park. She sat them down on the bench and hugged him to her. "I love you, Percy. I always will."

"I love you too, mom," he muttered into her shoulder. "I just want this all to end. All the fighting, all the death."

"I know you do," she said. "One day I hope it will all end. Do you remember when you were little and you had just started dancing lessons?"

Percy rolled his eyes at the memory. "I think I was way too excited for them."

Sally laughed, her voice gentle and melodious. "You were so cute in your little outfits dancing on stage."

"Do you have to bring this up?" Percy muttered, embarrassed. He pulled away from her hug.

"You were so happy back then," Sally said softly. "Even with Gabe around, you were happy."

"I was only happy when I could get away from Gabe. I could have been working in a factory, and it would have been happier than being around Gabe," Percy said. Sally swatted his arm.

"I was happy too. Happy that you could get away from Gabe even for just a few short hours a day."

"How did you even convince him to let me go?"

"I told him that I was tired and needed to leave you with a babysitter," Sally said with a shrug.

"And as I got older?"

"I told him that you had detention after school."

Percy rolled his eyes. "Those must have been some long detentions because I remember _actually_ having detention after school almost every day."

Sally sighed. "You certainly did, didn't you? It didn't matter much though. Gabe was always too drunk to really understand that what I was saying didn't make much sense." She looked at her son. "But you were happy, Percy. Someday you'll be happy and carefree again."

Percy laughed humorlessly. "I doubt that."

"Have faith, Percy," Sally said. "You'll get your peace someday, but for now, there are people that need you."

"I don't know if I can keep doing this," Percy admitted. "People around me keep dying. I just want it all to stop."

"And what would you do then, Percy? Leave them all to fate?"

Percy sighed. "No, I couldn't do that to them."

Sally grinned. "Chiron sent me an IM and said that you met a cute girl."

Percy scowled and muttered something about making sure Chiron would stay in a wheelchair. "Stupid horse doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut."

"What's her name?" Sally asked, laughing at her son's discomfort.

"Her name is Daphne Greengrass," Percy muttered. "She's two grades below me."

"What's she like?"

"She's beautiful," Percy admitted. "I really didn't mean to go to Hogwarts to start having a crush on someone, but she's different. I don't know how yet, but I really like her."

Sally smiled and cupped his cheek. "If she makes you happy, I'll love her."

"It's not like we're dating," Percy said.

"Give it time," Sally grinned.

"Why do you want me to find somebody so badly?"

"I worry for you, Percy."

"I'll be fine."

Sally pulled him into a hug and kissed the top of his head. "You need someone to keep you in line." Percy scowled playfully at his mom.

"Percy! There you are," said Chiron rolling up to him. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Mom wanted to get away from the house for a bit," Percy said. Chiron frowned.

"Percy...they found your mom back at the house."

Percy looked over at his mom who had tears streaming down her cheeks. "But...she's right here! I don't understand."

Chiron rolled up closer. "Percy, the wizards found your mom next to Paul."

Percy ignored him. "Mom, what's going on?"

"I love you so much, Percy," she cried. "I love you so much."

"Mom tell me what's going on!"

"It's time to go now, Mrs. Jackson," said a voice to the side. Percy paled as Sally stood up and pulled him into a hug.

"Please, end this war, Percy," she whispered. "End all of this so that you can find some peace."

"Mom," he choked, bubbles of emotion forming in his mouth. Tears streamed down his cheeks. "Don't go."

"It's time, Mrs. Jackson."

"Leave her alone, Nico!" Percy shouted. Sally placed a hand on Percy's cheek.

"It's okay, Percy," she said softly. "It's okay. I love you."

"I love you too, mom," Percy cried. "Please don't leave me."

"I love you, Percy," she whispered one last time before slipping away and taking Nico's hand. She smiled sadly at her son before she left the mortal plane for her eternal home in Elysium. Percy collapsed to his knees, wailing and pounding his fists into the ground. Thunder blasted in the sky and rain began to pour without mercy. The oceans churned and crashed onto the land as Atlantis felt the searing pain of loss. Every horse, pegasus, thestral, centaur, and unicorn knelt to the ground in respect and sorrow. Olympus fell silent, and Hestia shed a tear as the fire in her hearth dwindled to a quiet smolder.

 **A/N: Hello my friends. This wasn't my best chapter, but it was necessary for the plot. I hope that you enjoyed (is that really the right word?) this chapter. Don't lose hope though, the story WILL have a happy ending...eventually. (Thanks to SilentSniper for encouraging me to write this tragedy sooner rather than later)**

 **Again, thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. You guys are amazing. EoD just passed 300 favorites! Until next time.**

 ****This chapter has not been beta'd****


	16. Chapter 16

The blue flowers that adorned Sally Jackson's shroud burned to nothing, and Percy could do nothing but stare numbly. He said nothing as Chiron and Poseidon gave their last words about Sally. He said nothing as Thalia spoke on how wonderful Sally had been to her-her second mother. He did nothing but watch as the casket was lowered into the ground beside Sally's parents. It was cold. Brutally cold. But Percy felt nothing.

One after another, people approached Percy and shook his hand or gave him a hug, offering condolences that meant nothing to him. Soon everyone left, and Percy watched the dirt cover up his mother's casket. The tombstone was set, a glaring reminder to him of what he had lost. It had an inscription, but Percy didn't read it as though not reading it would somehow negate what had happened. Snow fell continuously until the fresh grave was nothing but a sheet of white.

"She was the most amazing woman."

Percy snorted softly. "That's an understatement."

"I am going to miss her very much."

Percy turned. "She loved having you around."

"It won't be the same without her."

Percy shook his head and looked down at the grave.

"I'm here for you if you ever need anything, okay, Perce?"

"Thanks, Grover," Percy said, as the satyr wrapped an arm around Percy's shoulder. In truth, if it were any other person, Percy would have told them to fuck off. But this was Grover. They shared an empathy link. Grover knew exactly what Percy was feeling because he felt it too. "It was Nico that came for her."

Grover looked at his brother. "Nico? Makes sense, he is the King of Ghosts after all."

Percy felt tears in his eyes for the first time since it had happened. "I was talking to her, Grover. I thought she was alive the whole time." He grabbed the amulet around his neck. "This stupid thing made me think she was alive." He ripped the amulet off and threw it across the cemetery into the semi-frozen lake behind it. Grover frowned.

"Didn't Zeus and Hades give that to you?"

"Fuck them both," Percy said bitterly. "My mom's dead. If they're so pissed off that I threw away their gift then they can kill me. I won't even fight back."

"You don't mean that, Perce."

Percy glared at the satyr. "I do. I've lost practically everything to the gods. I'm sick of it. I'm done, Grover. I'm just done with it all."

"And what about the wizards you promised to protect?" Grover countered. "You're just going to leave them all? What about me? What about Thalia and Clarisse and the others that are still here?"

Percy's shoulders dropped and he turned to his mom's grave. He closed his eyes, letting a tear drop, before steeling himself. He turned to Grover, his sea green eyes tempests. "I'm going to hunt Hecate down, and I am going to rip her apart and anybody that dared join her. I'm going to find those two assholes that killed my mom and Paul, and I'm going to make them beg for the Fields of Punishment."

Grover's hair stood up on end in fear at the power behind Percy's eyes. He took a step back involuntarily. "Please, just don't do something you will regret."

Percy shook his head. "I have nothing left to regret."

Grover pursed his lips but said nothing. Percy needed time. He knew Percy would never get over Sally's death, of course he wouldn't. No one would be able to get over Sally. But Percy had people that depended on him, and if there was anything Percy was it was loyal. He was loyal to a fault. It was, of course, his deadly fault. And that terrified Grover. To what end would Percy seek out his revenge against Hecate to avenge his mother and protect his friends? Grover looked at Percy who continued to stare at Sally's grave. The air got colder, and Grover felt it in that moment. Hecate had made a mortal enemy in Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, Prince of Atlantis, hero of Olympus. Hecate would pay for Sally's death. She would pay for it with her life.

"Take care of yourself," Percy said to Grover, turning away from the grave. "Don't get into any trouble."

"I won't," Grover muttered. " _You_ take care of yourself."

Percy only nodded, gave Grover a side hug, and walked away. Grover sighed and looked at Sally's grave again.

"We are all going to miss you so much, Sally," he said softly. "I am afraid that with you gone, there won't be anything holding Percy back. Without you, who is going to keep Percy from losing himself?"

Daphne stared in horror at the cover image of the Daily Prophet. It showed a rather gruesome scene of aurors searching through a small, muggle neighborhood. Only one house had been targeted and two of the three residents had been killed in their sleep. Percy Jackson. The boy that was the focus of so many of Daphne's dreams of late. He was the only survivor of the attack. The Prophet explained that Percy had confronted two men dressed as Death Eaters as they finished carving a destructive rune into the house. He had tried to fight them off but they had destroyed the home. According to the Prophet, no one had seen Percy since that day.

"Daphne, sweetie, are you okay?"

"I-my friend's parents were both killed yesterday," she said softly, holding the paper out towards her mom. Alison took the paper and read it carefully. She gasped quietly to herself before handing the paper to Daniel. Tracey put a hand on Daphne's shoulder.

"I'm sure he's okay, Daph," she said. Daphne shook her head.

"How would he be okay? His parents died!"

Daniel skimmed over the paper. "It says here that he confronted the two Death Eaters. Why Death Eaters? None have been seen since the fall of You-Know-Who. Why would they resurface now? And why attack this boy?"

"Hermione said that this past summer he lost a lot of his closest friends and family," Daphne said, ignoring her father's questions. "How can he possibly cope with the loss of his parents too?"

"I don't know, sweetie," Alison said. "But if he needs a place to stay, he is more than welcome to stay here." She paused. "In a separate room of course."

Daphne was too overcome with worry to hear her mother's last tease. Tracey, however, snickered just as a white owl flew into the room. Everyone at the table paused and stared at it. The owl hobbled over to Tracey and stuck out it's leg. Tracey hesitated for a moment before taking the small parchment off the bird's leg. The owl hooted, clearly asking for a treat. Daphne held out a piece of bacon which the owl took gratefully and flew off.

"What a beautiful owl," said Astoria. "Whose is it, Tracey?"

The brunette read the note quickly, her expression going from an embarrassed smile to panic. "It's Harry. He said that Dumbledore doesn't know where Percy is. Percy disappeared after his mom's funeral."

"Harry..." Daniel murmured. "As in Harry Potter?"

Tracey nodded. "He's become one of our good friends this year."

Daniel nodded his head slowly as Daphne read Harry's letter. Her hands began to shake, and she felt tears coming up to her eyes but she blinked them away angrily.

"Wouldn't an owl be able to find him?" she asked her dad.

"It depends," Daniel said. "Would he know how to cast the proper spells to ward himself from owls?"

"I'm sure he does," said Alison. "He's in the tournament after all. He wouldn't have joined the tournament if he didn't have a good knowledge of magic."

"Actually," Daphne said quietly. "He admitted that he's not the best with magic."

Daniel frowned then nodded. "Send a letter to him then. I'm sure it'll find him."

Daphne and Tracey rushed from the table to go and write a letter to Percy. Astoria giggled as she watched them leave. Her parents eyed her cautiously.

"She's got it bad," Astoria said. Alison smiled softly and Daniel felt the proverbial knife hit his chest.

"I need a drink."

Alison frowned at her husband. "It's only 9 in the morning."

"Make it two drinks."

Poseidon walked through the obsidian halls of the Underworld. The smell of fire and decay wafted through the air, and he forced himself to continue forward. He passed several skeletons dressed as Confederate soldiers sweeping the floors of the hallway and dusting off enormous oil paintings. Poseidon glanced at the artwork and shook his head. Each depicted a moment in their history with Hades in the center, draped in purple cloth, and crowned as King of Olympus. In one particularly interesting piece, Hades was using Zeus as a footstool. Poseidon rather liked that one.

He continued towards the heart of the palace until he reached two large, wooden doors with handles crafted out of stygian iron. Poseidon waved his hand to open the doors but they didn't budge. He waved them again, but still the doors would not open. He growled and made to knock on the doors when they swung open. Hades, atop his throne of skulls, grinned down at his brother.

"The Underworld obeys but one master, dear brother," Hades said. Poseidon glared at him and entered the throne room.

"You called me, Hades," he growled. "This had better be important."

Hades nodded. "It is. It's about Perseus."

"What about my son?"

"Do you know where he is?"

Poseidon frowned. "He returned to that magic school."

Hades shook his head and pointed at an obsidian object beside his throne. It was large, about four feet tall, and resembled a chalice. A murky water rippled in it, and when Poseidon approached it, an image was projected in it. The King of Atlantis looked into the water and gasped softly. It was Percy, sitting atop an outcropping of rocks, looking down onto the Fields of Punishment.

"What is my son doing here?" Poseidon growled. Hades held up his hands in defense.

"I didn't trap him here, if that's what you're asking. He came to me after the funeral and asked to speak with his mother. It's against the ancient laws, but I owe him a debt of gratitude, so I allowed it. Not even Thanatos knows that he is here." Hades stood up and approached the chalice. "He never left. I tried to go and tell him to leave, but I couldn't do it. I know what it is like to lose someone you love. I didn't have the heart to rip it away from Percy again."

"So you need me to do it?" Poseidon asked. Hades shrugged.

"You are his father. He'll listen to you."

Poseidon nodded. "Where is he now?"

"He's in Elysium, speaking with the fallen campers."

Poseidon turned to head to his son when Hades put a hand on his shoulder.

"You should know," Hades said, "Percy hasn't just been sitting around and talking."

"What do you mean?"

"He's been training."

"Training? Here in the Underworld?"

Hades nodded. "He has found himself several tutors to learn from including a few children of Hecate, the fallen captain of the hunters, Jason and Medea, and a few others."

"Why so many?" asked Poseidon. "Why train with the dead?"

"Only Percy knows the answer to that," Hades said. "But I believe he is preparing to go to war with these Death Eaters that killed his mother."

Poseidon nodded, his eyes becoming steel at the mention of Sally's death. "Then I believe he needs one more tutor."

"Or two," Hades grinned. Poseidon looked at him. "What? I can't let him be trained by only one Olympian."

Poseidon laughed and clapped Hades on the shoulder. "It's good to have you back, brother."

"All thanks to Percy," Hades said. "Get your son. It is time that he begins his true training. As one of us."

The blade passed directly over Percy's head, clipping the edge of his hair. He stumbled backwards, regaining his balance.

"Clumsy," his tutor snarled. Percy glared at him and went on the offensive. He swung Riptide towards his tutor's side, waiting till his tutor parried to bring his shield down on his opponent's sword hand. He thought he had won when his tutor shoved his shoulder into Percy's, knocking him off balance and onto the ground. Percy glared at the sword at his neck.

"You cannot assume you've won so easily, Perseus," his tutor said, helping Percy stand back up.

"Not everyone has such a powerful grip," Percy retorted, rubbing his shoulder.

"True, but you cannot assume everyone has such a weak grip as yourself."

Percy rolled his eyes. "One of these days, I am going to beat you, Jason."

The King of Iolcos laughed and patted Percy on the shoulder. "Maybe one day, Perseus. But not today."

"I think you did really well, Percy," said Charlie. Percy looked over at where his friends all sat, watching. He shrugged at them.

"Obviously not well enough."

"You cannot put yourself down so easily," said Jason's wife, Medea, approaching the two heroes. "You did quite well. My husband has had several millennia to hone his skills."

Percy shrugged. "One day I'll win."

"I am sure you will," Medea said with a smile. She looked past Percy and frowned. "I'm afraid, though, that it won't be today. It's time for you to leave, Percy."

Percy frowned and looked over to where she had turned. He groaned as he saw his father approaching. "I don't want to leave."

Medea grabbed his shoulders and forced him to look at her. "You have learned so much here, but the world needs you. Use what you have learned. End this war with the Death Eaters. Remember what Jason, I, and the others have taught you."

Percy gulped and nodded at the old sorceress. He turned to Jason and held out his hand. "I wish I didn't have to, but I guess I don't really have a choice, do I?"

Jason shook his head, grabbing Percy's hand. "You are a skilled warrior, Perseus. You will make us all proud. Just take care of yourself. I don't want to see you here in Elysium in a very, very long time."

Percy grinned. "When I come back, I'm going to finally beat you."

"Keep dreaming, sea spawn," Jason teased. Percy laughed and turned to his friends. They all stood up and approached him.

"I..." Percy hesitated, unsure what to say to them. "I'm going to miss you all so much. Losing you all was so hard the first time. I don't know if I can lose you all again."

"You aren't losing us," Annabeth Chase said. She pulled Percy into a hug. "This is just goodbye. Your new friends up there need you."

"We'll miss you too, Percy," said Travis Stoll from beside Annabeth. "But it's time for you to go back."

Percy nodded his head, looking at his feet. He took a deep breath and looked back up at his friends. "I love you all." He gave each one of his fallen friends a hug, feeling a part of the old Percy return with each embrace. Finally, he pulled away and looked over at his father who waited patiently. "Tell my mom I love her and I miss her. I...I don't know if I would be able to leave if I tell her myself."

They all nodded and agreed. Percy gave them all a watery smile and turned around, walking over to Poseidon. His father watched him the entire way, his eyes revealing his worry and pride for his son. He clasped Percy on the shoulder and led him away from Elysium.

"Did Hades make you come?" Percy asked as they walked.

"He asked for my help, yes," Poseidon nodded. "He was worried about you."

"I'll be fine," Percy muttered. They walked in silence, listening to the faint echoes of screaming souls and crackling fire.

"So, training in the Underworld?" Poseidon asked after a few minutes. Percy looked up at him and nodded.

"I need to improve my skills. Chiron is a fantastic teacher, but he has his limitations. I needed to learn from the best."

Poseidon nodded, yet said nothing as they approached the exit from the Underworld. They made their way back up to the mortal plane, and Percy looked at his father.

"So are you taking me back to Hogwarts?"

"When is the next task?" Poseidon asked.

"February," Percy said, confused. Poseidon nodded.

"Then no, I'm not taking me back to Hogwarts. There is something else you must do before then."

Percy cocked his head. "What is it?"

Poseidon grabbed Percy's arm. "Close your eyes."

Percy closed them immediately as Poseidon revealed his true form and the two of them flashed away. When Percy opened his eyes again, he gaped at his surroundings. Enormous pillars of ivory and gold formed a perfect circle around them. The ground was covered in sand, and clouds passed around the circle. They were clearly on Olympus, but Percy did not recognize it at all.

"Where are we?" he asked. Poseidon stepped away and snapped his fingers. His Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts were replaced with a breastplate and armor. His godly trident appeared in his hand.

"Welcome to the Arena of the Gods," Poseidon said. Percy felt his skin crawl in anticipation of a fight.

"Why are we here?" Percy asked, his hand going to his pocket.

"You're here to train," said a voice from behind. Percy whirled around and gasped. Standing before him were thirteen figures. All were wearing armor and each held their weapon in hand. Hades stepped forward. "You have trained with many great heroes, Perseus, but now it is time to complete your training."

"You are the Hero of Olympus," said Artemis. "And as such, you will be trained by the Olympians."

"Hecate is declaring war on you," Poseidon said. "We, as gods, cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals, but we _can_ train you."

"All of you?" asked Percy, completely in awe.

"All of us," grumbled Zeus, clearly unhappy with it all. "We will train you to fight, but only if you swear to never to turn your blade on Olympus."

The other Olympians eyed Zeus in disdain and rolled their eyes at him.

Percy, though, nodded. "Yes, of course. I swear on the Styx to never turn on Olympus."

Thunder blasted powerfully overhead sealing his oath. Zeus nodded, though still unhappy with training Percy.

"When do we begin?" asked Percy.

"Now!" growled Poseidon, swinging his trident down at Percy. Percy rolled out of the way, and pulled Riptide out. He uncapped his sword and held it out in front of him. He eyed his father carefully, and inwardly smirked. Now _this_ would be a real fight.

It was over before it had even begun. Percy was flung across the arena, flipping several times before coming to a stop. His face was covered in sand and every bone in his body groaned in pain. Poseidon, despite his demeanor, was very fast. Percy hadn't had any time to react.

"Get up," Poseidon ordered. "Your reaction time was poor."

Percy pulled himself up to his feet shakily. "I didn't expect my old man to move so fast."

Poseidon's lip twitched ever so slightly into a smile before returning to a scowl. "Prepare yourself, Perseus."

Percy gripped Riptide tightly, eying his father more carefully. Poseidon rushed forward, bringing his trident down on Percy in a powerful, downward arc. Percy rolled out of the way and went to strike back, but the shaft of the trident parried Riptide away causing Percy to lose his balance. Poseidon capitalized on Percy's mistake and swept Percy's feet out from under him. Percy hit the ground hard, but managed to scramble out of the way. He wiped the sand out of his eyes and brought his shield out. Poseidon grinned at him before starting the fight again.

Percy held his own against Poseidon for a solid minute before he made another mistake. When Poseidon went to stab with the trident, Percy blocked it with his shield, but instead of deflecting the trident to the left, away from his body, the godly weapon deflected down. The spikes trapped Percy's foot in the ground, distracting him from Poseidon's fist which caught him on the right side of his face. The Prince of Atlantis groaned as he got another mouthful of sand.

"You are doing better than I expected," Poseidon said. "But you have much to learn. We'll stop there and begin again tomorrow morning."

Percy groaned and pulled himself up to his feet. He made to speak with his father but he and the other gods had already left the arena. Percy grimaced and capped Riptide, returning his weapon to his pocket. He doubted he would return to Hogwarts until the next task. That meant over a month of training with the Olympians. For the first time ever, Percy thanked the fates for the Achilles curse. Otherwise he was certain he wouldn't survive the next several weeks.

Harry sat alone in the common room. The first week back in class had gone by rather slowly. He and his friends still had no word on Percy and were growing increasingly concerned. It had been especially hard on Harry. Percy had quickly become his closest friend-closer even than Ron. Without Percy, Hogwarts somehow felt duller. The only bright spot was the time he got to spend in the library with Hermione, Ginny, and Daphne...and Tracey. Tracey had been on his mind a lot ever since the ball. She was funny and sassy and always made him laugh. He wasn't sure why or how, but he was starting to develop a crush on the Slytherin girl. It hadn't been an issue at all as no one had caught on. No one, at least, until Sirius had tricked the information out of him. Which led to Harry sitting alone in the common room, staring into the fire as his godfather laughed mightily in the fireplace.

"Oh, James, forgive me for not teaching your son the Marauder ways!" Sirius laughed. "Your father would be laughing so hard at that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "It's really not that funny."

Actually, Harry had to admit it was a little funny. A few nights ago, Harry had offered to walk Tracey back to her dorm which she had agreed to quite enthusiastically. Sirius had wiggled his eyebrows at that, but Harry ignored him. After dropping Tracey off, Harry had gone back to the Gryffindor dorms using the Marauder's Map to guide him past Filch, Mrs. Norris, and Snape. On his way, however, he had noticed that Barty Crouch was in Snape's office. Which was strange as no one had seen Mr. Crouch in quite some time. Harry had gone to investigate when his foot had gotten stuck on a trick stair. He had freaked out causing Snape to hear the commotion. Thankfully, Moody had come to cover for him, somehow seeing Harry through his invisibility cloak. Sirius thought the entire story was hilarious. Particularly how Harry had gotten stuck.

"So wait," Sirius said, wiping tears from his eyes. "You're telling me Moody has the map now?"

Harry nodded. "He took it from me when I told him about Mr. Crouch."

"I'm not sure I like this," Sirius said. "But Moody was a phenomenal Auror back in the day. If anybody could make use of the information it would be him."

Harry nodded again, glad to get away from the more embarrassing topics.

"I'm also sorry to hear about your friend," Sirius said quietly. "I know what it's like to lose loved ones."

"I'm worried about him, Sirius," Harry said. "We still haven't heard from him. I don't know where he is."

Sirius seemed to ponder that. "You told me before that he had this camp he used to go to. Maybe he's back in America?"

Harry shrugged. "He could be. But why wouldn't he tell us?"

"I'm sure he just needs time to recover and figure out what to do next. He lost his mother and stepdad. That can't be easy."

"I guess you're right," Harry said. "But I still wish he's send a letter."

"When he gets back just hex him for being careless," Sirius grinned.

Harry grinned back. "I'll let Daphne take care of that. She's absolutely furious with him."

"Oh is that so?"

"She has a huge crush on Percy," Harry said. "According to Tracey, she's planning all sorts of nasty surprises for Percy when he gets back for 'worrying her.'"

Sirius chuckled. "Oh to be young and in love again. Speaking of Tracey," he wiggled his eyebrows again.

Harry groaned. It was going to be a long night. "Okay. What do you want to know?"

The night talking with Sirius had really helped Harry out, but the next few weeks were still unbearable without Percy. The friends worked quietly on their homework whenever they went to the library, none having the motivation to joke or really engage in conversation. The Prophet released several articles with conjectures as to what Percy was up to. All of them painted him in a negative light. One rather harsh article was burnt to a crisp after Daphne read it. In nearly all of them, Draco Malfoy was quoted saying he knew Percy was bad news. He had ended up in the hospital wing for two nights. The culprit was never caught, but Harry knew it had been a joint effort between his two Slytherin friends and Hermione.

Ron had tried to spend time with the group, but his distrust of the Slytherins prevented him from sticking around. After a week of trying, Ron gave up and began hanging out with the other Gryffindor boys. He and Harry still joked around and spoke with each other, but the closeness they had at the beginning of the year had dwindled to a casual friendship. Hermione had been initially hurt by Ron's disappearance, but got over it rather quickly. Ginny confided with Harry telling him that Hermione had had a crush on her brother. To say Harry had been surprised would be an understatement.

The weeks continued, however, and still no word from Percy. Every owl the friends sent to him returned, the letters unopened. The second task was quickly approaching, and nothing from him. Bagman, knowing that Hermione, Ginny, and Harry were friends with him, asked them if they'd heard anything. When they said no, he warned them that if Percy didn't make it to the next task, he'd lose his magic. The friends raced to find Dumbledore, but the headmaster simply shrugged. He didn't know where Percy was either, though they could tell that he didn't seem concerned in the slightest. It was apparent that Dumbledore knew something they didn't. Regardless, they needed their friend back. Percy needed to come back.

Sirius sipped his coffee in the little shop by his hotel. He grinned at a pair of lovely young women a few tables across from him. They giggled and whispered to each other. Oh how he loved his life. He finished his coffee and waved at the barista.

"Another for me, please, and a cup for each of those lovely girls."

The girls giggled again, and he blew them a kiss. He made to stand up to go and speak with them when someone came and sat down across the table from him. Sirius frowned.

"Can I help you?"

The young man eyed Sirius for a moment before waving at the barista for his own cup of coffee. He turned back to Sirius. "You're Sirius Black are you not?"

Sirius immediately reached for his wand. "How do you know that name?"

The man raised a hand in surrender. "Calm down, I am not here to hurt you. I know your godson."

"Percy?" Sirius asked hesitantly. Percy grinned at him.

"That's me," Percy said.

"You prat, Harry and the others have been worried sick trying to find you," Sirius said, glaring at Percy. Percy sighed and nodded.

"I know, but I had things I needed to take care of."

"Like what?"

Percy eyed him. "Not here. Not right now. When the task is over we will all meet in Hogsmeade and I'll tell you all everything."

Sirius cocked his head. "I'm a wanted man. I can't just go strolling into Hogsmeade."

"Take this," Percy said, holding out a New York Yankees baseball cap. "Don't put it on just yet. It's a very special cap. It'll make you invisible."

Sirius eyed it for a moment before putting it in his jacket. "So I'm just to wear the hat and go to Hogsmeade?"

"I'll take you there," Percy said. "I've got one of those portkey things in my pocket."

"You're serious aren't you?"

"No, you're Sirius," Percy said with a grin. Sirius rolled his eyes but chuckled.

"Well, if Harry trusts you, I see no reason not to as well. Do you happen to have a place for me to stay in Hogsmeade as well?"

"There's a room at the Hog's Head booked under the name Frank Solace," Percy said. "You'll stay there."

Sirius grimaced at the name of the pub but shrugged. "At least I'll be near Harry. Does Dumbledore know about all of this?"

Percy shook his head. "No, and I would appreciate it if it stayed that way."

Sirius grinned. "I like you already, Percy. So when do we leave?"

Percy checked his watch. "About an hour."

They sat in silence until the barista came over with their coffee. Sirius eyed the young man in front of him. Sure, he had seen the photograph in the Prophet of Percy holding a dragon's mouth apart, but this young man was not what he had expected. Percy was well built with olive skin. Sirius figured he must have Greek heritage. Percy's hair was trimmed quite short though he had a rather prominent beard. Interestingly enough, however, were Percy's eyes. They were sea green. Sirius could not help but make a mental comparison between Percy and Harry. They were strikingly similar. Almost as though they were designed that way by some sort of author. Sirius chuckled to himself at the thought. Percy was the image of a warrior, Sirius was certain of that. He looked coiled, like a snake ready to spring and strike at the drop of a hair. And yet he was only sixteen. Sirius shivered at the thought of what horrors Percy must have seen in his life. Certainly the loss of his mother and step-father must have had a horrible impact on him.

"So what brings you to New York?" asked Sirius.

"You've spoken to Harry," Percy said. "You know what happened."

Sirius nodded. "My condolences."

Percy gave a small smile. "Thank you. We buried my mother here in New York. Just never left."

"I can understand that," Sirius said. Percy nodded and finished his coffee.

"We should get going. Don't want to be in the middle of a coffee shop when the portkey triggers."

Sirius nodded in agreement and followed Percy out of the shop, stopping briefly to wink at the two girls from earlier. Percy led Sirius down a back alley to a dead end and pulled out a shoelace. "This portkey should drop us off in Hogsmeade."

Sirius grabbed onto the shoelace and a few minutes later, felt a tug on his navel. Travelling by international portkey was a nauseating feeling. The tug on his navel lasted much longer and by the time they reached Hogsmeade, Sirius felt ready to vomit. Percy himself looked quite queasy.

"Put the cap on," Percy wheezed. Sirius complied and was amazed to find himself invisible as Percy had said.

"This is much more convenient than a cloak. Where did you get this?"

Percy frowned. "It belonged to a friend."

Sirius nodded and left it at that. "Thanks for the help getting me here, Percy. Are you headed back to Hogwarts?"

"Not quite yet," Percy said. "There are things I still need to do before I can return to Hogwarts. Here, this is your room key."

Sirius grabbed the key, amazed when the key became invisible the moment he took it. He looked at Percy. "Like what?"

"Like getting myself another one of those magical sticks."

"A wand?" Sirius asked confused. What sort of wizard referred to wands that way?

Percy simply shrugged at him. "I don't hear a difference." With that, the young man stalked off in a different direction leaving Sirius alone in front of the Hog's Head. He took a deep breath and headed inside, only removing his cap when he was in front of his room. He unlocked the door and opened it. A rat scurried out of the room and ran for the shadows. Sirius groaned. At least it was better than Azkaban.

Percy walked through the Forbidden Forest, careful to avoid making much noise. He heard the sounds of creatures rummaging around in the distance, but none sounded close. Still, Percy uncapped Riptide and held it at his side, ready to strike should anything jump out at him. The further he went into the forest, the darker the shadows and the narrower the space for him to walk. Soon, he began hacking at the limbs and plants in front of him. He was making a lot of noise, but it was either that or getting stuck in a bramble bush. He took another step when an arrow whizzed by his head, hitting his cheek and lodging into a tree beside him. Percy whirled around and made to strike when he found himself staring into the electric eyes of his cousin.

"You are very unaware of your surroundings, Kelp Head," Thalia teased. Percy rolled his eyes.

"I don't live in the woods," he retorted. Thalia grinned and motioned for Percy to follow her.

"Artemis told us all what's going on."

Percy looked at her. "In regards to what?"

"She told us about Hecate tricking you into coming here, how she wants to kill you, how you're protecting some prophecy kid, and how she and the other Olympians have been training you," Thalia said, ticking each thing off on her hand as though it were a grocery list. "The fates really hate you don't they?"

"Either that or they're just really bored and I'm their entertainment," Percy grimaced. "Is your camp nearby?"

"Why?" Thalia asked. "Already getting tired?"

Percy dodged a branch that came swinging at his head, and shook his hand in a desperate attempt to get rid of a spider web. "I just want to get all of this done already."

Thalia laughed. "Camp is in the next grove over."

Just as Thalia said, when they reached the next grove, Percy was greeted with the sight of several silver tents. Girls ran back and forth from the tents carrying all sorts of equipment, weapons, and food. Thalia led Percy through the camp, and he made sure to keep his head down so as to not provoke the hunters. They finally stopped in front of the largest tent in the camp. Standing outside the entrance was a rather muscular hunter who stepped forward and punched Percy in the shoulder playfully.

"Look who it is," she said. Percy looked up and grinned.

"Hey, Phoebe how have you been?"

Phoebe looked around the forest. "Oh, I've been fine. Lots of interesting monsters to hunt around here. Almost makes me glad we followed you to England."

"I'm pretty sure this is Scotland."

"Whatever." Phoebe pointed to the tent. "Artemis is waiting for you both inside."

Percy nodded and stepped into the tent. As soon as he was inside, he bowed his head with respect. Lady Artemis rolled her eyes and threw a dagger at him. Percy, reacting on instinct, threw his hands up, forming an 'X' with his hands. An orange shield sparked in front of him, stopping the dagger completely. Percy broke the 'X' and the dagger was sent back at Artemis who caught it with expert grace. She smiled at him.

"Your skills are improving each day, cousin," she said. Thalia herself gaped at the two of them. Percy simply shrugged.

"Medea's forms of magic are much more...agreeable with me. I still can't fight you in hand-to-hand combat," he said. Artemis nodded.

"And your archery continues to humiliate even Apollo."

Percy blushed. "Yeah well..."

"What the Hades is going on?" Thalia rasped out. Percy and Artemis turned to her. "Milady, you've always been respectful towards Percy, but where is this friendliness coming from?"

"You don't approve?" Artemis asked. Thalia shook her head adamantly.

"It's not that! I'm just so confused!"

"Perseus and I have spent much time the last month or so training," Artemis said. "I have come to see him as a friend."

Percy nodded. "What she said."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Only you, Kelp Head. Only you could make friends with the man-hating goddess."

"Don't inflate his ego," Artemis chastised. "He is still a male after all."

Thalia nodded. "So why exactly are we here, milady?"

"Perseus asked for a meeting," Artemis said. They turned to him.

"I found the location of the men that murdered mom and Paul," Percy said. "I want to bring Thalia with me to confront them."

Artemis looked at him. "Why Thalia?"

"She's like my sister," Percy said, looking at Thalia. Thalia smiled softly at him. "I know my mom thought of her as another daughter. She deserves to avenge my mom just as much as I do."

Thalia pulled her cousin into a hug as Artemis smiled fondly at the two of them. A smile which immediately disappeared the second Percy looked back at her.

"If any harm should come to my lieutenant," Artemis warned. Percy nodded.

"I'll turn into a jackalope, I know," he said. Artemis nodded.

"You have my permission then."

Percy and Thalia bowed in thanks and began leaving the tent to go and plan their mission when Artemis called out to them. "Perseus!" They turned. Artemis' eyes grew hard. "Make them suffer."

Percy grinned at her and nodded. "I intend to."

They left the tent and Percy led Thalia to the edge of the grove before grabbing her hand and placing a feather in it. Thalia grabbed the end of the feather but before she could ask what it was for, she felt a tug on her navel. She tried to scream but nothing came out. Instead, she felt herself being pulled through space itself. Her body twisted and swirled and when it finally stopped, she collapsed to her knees trying in vain to not puke. Percy patted her back.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you."

"What the Hades was that?" Thalia rasped out, her voice raw from her voiceless screaming.

"That was a portkey," Percy explained. "It's one of the ways these magical people travel from place to place. I had this one made over in New York. Did you know that the magical people of America have their congress in New York?"

Thalia cocked her head. "Where?"

"The Woolworth Building."

"Wait, seriously?"

Percy nodded. "They've been there for years apparently."

"How did we not know about them?"

"We had our own problems, I guess," Percy shrugged. "Maybe that's why Hecate sided so easily with Kronos. We didn't pay any attention to her legacies even though their entire government in America was just blocks down the street from us."

"I don't think that really justifies siding with the Titans," Thalia said, "but I guess I can understand." She looked around. They were standing in a very seedy alleyway. The cobblestone street was covered in filth and possible human bile. "Where are we?"

"This is Knockturn Alley," Percy said, looking around. "According to Medea, this is where the majority of the more...dark wizards congregate in London."

"Medea. You mentioned here with Artemis," Thalia said. "Medea as in Jason's wife? The ancient sorceress?"

Percy nodded. "I spent time in the underworld after mom's death. I found Medea and she trained me in magic, and Jason taught me in combat."

"Did you see them?" she whispered. Percy nodded sadly.

"I did. It was...strange. It was like I was speaking to them but like they weren't really there. Guess it makes sense since they were just ghosts."

Thalia nodded and looked at the closest door to them. "So are they in there?"

"If my information is correct," Percy said.

"And where is this information coming from?"

"A werewolf I met in New York," Percy said. "He was visiting a friend when I found him."

"How did you figure out he was a werewolf?"

Percy lifted up the amulet that Zeus and Hades had given him. "Apparently this can glow pretty bright when near a full monster."

"And he didn't try to attack you?" Thalia asked incredulously.

"He's not what I expected," he said honestly. "He hates his curse and has been searching for a cure his entire life. He was turned into a werewolf as a toddler."

"That's horrible!" Thalia said. "Is the werewolf that turned him still alive?"

Percy shrugged. "Maybe?"

"Then the hunt will track him down and kill him. Anybody that attacks children deserves the Fields of Punishment and more," Thalia said with determination. "But we'll find him later. Let's get these assholes that killed Sally and Paul." Percy nodded and stepped to the door. He was about to kick the door in when Thalia put a hand on his shoulder. "They are mortal. Riptide won't be able to do anything."

Percy grinned at her and showed her a leather band on his right wrist. "A gift from dad and Uncle Hades."

Thalia cocked her head at him, but Percy turned back to the door. He took a deep breath before lifting his leg and driving his foot through the door. The wooden door shattered in its frame and flung inside. Startled cries came from inside, and Percy threw up his hands in the defensive form, blocking spells that came flying at them. When Percy found a gap between spells, he broke the form. The raw energy from his shield knocked the wizards back. Thalia rushed into the room and fired off arrows with deadly precision. Each wizard that attempted to fire a spell at them was met with an arrow to their arms. They cried out in pain, dropping their wands. One of the wizards scrambled for his wand and before Thalia could fire another arrow, he disappeared from the room with an audible crack. Percy sneered at the empty space before turning to the other wizards, now trying to grab their wands with their injured arms.

"I'm looking for Augustus Rookwood and Antonin Dolohov," Percy growled at the wizards on the ground. One of them looked up at him, his eyes betraying his pain.

"Dolohov just left. That's Rookwood over there," he pointed at the wizard closest to Thalia. Percy nodded and kicked the man in the head hard. The man fell back, unconscious. Percy turned to the other two wizards on the ground. Rookwood was trying to pull himself up to his feet while the other was whimpering softly and clutching his injured arm. Thalia notched an arrow and pointed it at Rookwood but did not fire. Percy walked over to Rookwood and grabbed him by his cloak. The grizzled Death Eater stared at him, hate in his eyes.

"Hello Rookwood," Percy grinned. "Recognize me?"

"Yeah," Rookwood spat. "You're the kid that hid behind a bush while we killed your mum."

Percy glared at him. "My name is Percy Jackson. And you are going to pay for what you did to my mom."

"You're just a bloody kid," Rookwood sneered. "I've served and fought beside the greatest wizard in history. You think I am scared of you and some tiny little girl?" Rookwood's free hand managed to grab a dagger from his belt. He thrust the blade up into Percy's gut, grinning sadistically in anticipation of the cry of pain. It never came. Rookwood frowned and looked down at where his knife was pressing into Percy's stomach. The tip of the blade was bent backwards and there was no blood. Rookwood began to sweat and looked up into Percy's eyes. This time, Percy grinned sadistically. Percy leaned in to Rookwood's ear as the Death Eater began to desperately struggle in vain against Percy's grip.

"Was that supposed to hurt?" Percy whispered in Rookwood's ear.

"What the hell are you?" Rookwood gasped.

"I'm just a half-blood," Percy said, punching Rookwood in the gut. The Death Eater crashed backwards into the wall of the room they were in. He crumpled to the ground, his ribs broken from the force of the strike. Percy tugged on the leather band on his wrist and a trident appeared in his hand. The trident was silver yet it had a prominent purple glow. Rookwood stared at the weapon in fear. "You like my trident? It's made of Stygian Iron meaning it can cut down people as well as monsters." Percy tapped the tip of the trident as though testing out it's sharpness before twirling it around in his hand and bringing the prongs down on Rookwood's leg, pinning him to the floor. The Death Eater screamed in pain. Percy glared at the man and stepped up to him before kicking him in the head. The strike was hard enough to knock several teeth out of Rookwood's mouth but not hard enough to knock him out.

"You'll be arrested for this," Rookwood coughed. Percy shook his head.

"There won't be any proof leading back to me. Your buddy Dolohov left before I could introduce myself, your friend on the ground over there is unconscious, and the last one over there is dead. The arrow pierced an artery in his arm."

Rookwood looked over at the other two Death Eaters in the room. Percy was right. One was out cold and the other was lying in a puddle of blood. "Kill me then," he spat. "I'm not afraid of you."

Percy dug the trident in deeper. Rookwood screamed. Percy kicked him again. He continued the pattern. He dug the trident in deeper and kicked Rookwood until the Death Eater was completely covered in his blood. The Death Eater's head hung limp, and his breath came out in wheezes. Percy glared at him. Memories of the explosion that had killed his mom filled his head. He saw Nico coming to lead Sally to Elysium. A fiery rage consumed Percy and he clenched his fist. At first nothing happened but then Rookwood began to convulse and scream in pain. His skin turned bright red and steam came from his eyes and open wounds. Percy growled and clenched his fist tighter. Rookwood screamed louder and louder until Thalia couldn't take it anymore.

"Enough, Kelp Head!" she cried out, but Percy didn't listen. He clenched his other fist. Blood began to pour out of Rookwood's eyes and his body began to glow a faint red. Rookwood screamed again before his body crumpled again, unmoving. Thalia grabbed Percy's shoulder and shook him violently. "Enough! He's dead!"

Percy's eyes dehazed, and he looked down at Rookwood's body as though seeing it for the first time. "I...I boiled him alive." All of his emotions came rushing through his body. Unwelcome tears bubbled in his eyes. "I didn't mean to lose control like that. I was just so angry and...I didn't mean to do that." Percy collapsed to his knees, crying. His body shook from his sobs. Thalia knelt down beside him and pulled him to her chest in a hug. Percy sobbed into her shoulder.

"It's okay, Perce," she whispered. "He was a horrible monster. He deserved to die."

"I just murdered someone, Thals," Percy wailed. "What kind of monster am I?"

Thalia rubbed his back. "You're not a monster."

"I've lost so many people I loved," Percy cried, his voice hitched. "What have I become, Thalia? What have I become?"

"You're still you, Kelp Head," she said. "You lost control, but it's understandable! He murdered your mother. He deserved this. How is this any different from you hunting down the monsters that killed our friends?"

"He...he was mortal," Percy rasped out.

"So what?" Thalia countered. "His mortality did nothing to soften his monstrosities."

"I'm a horrible person," Percy cried again. "I deserve to die."

"Stop that," Thalia said, slapping Percy's back softly. "You do not deserve to die. You are not a horrible person. I love you so much, Perce. You are my brother. You have gone through more than anybody else I know, and right now you're struggling. I get that. But you're not a horrible person. You're the best person I know."

"I'm a murderer," Percy whispered. Thalia shook her head.

"No, you're just a broken kid whose mom was killed violently. Nobody blames you." Percy sniffled. Thalia rubbed his back.

"What have I become, Thalia?" Percy whispered again. "Everyone I know goes away at some point. Just take it all, Thalia. Take my stupid empire of dirt away from me. I don't want to be a leader or a hero anymore. I don't want any of this. I'm just going to let you down and hurt you."

Thalia hugged him tightly. "You'll never let me down, Kelp Head. And I will never go away."

"Don't make promises you can't keep," Percy choked.

"I promise I won't leave," Thalia repeated. Percy wrapped his arms around his cousin and hugged her tightly.

"I love you, Thals."

"I love you, Seaweed Brain." She stood up and pulled Percy to his feet. "Come on. We need to get back to Lady Artemis before that other guy comes back with friends."

Percy grabbed his trident and pressed it up against his wrist. It returned to a leather band, and Percy looked at his cousin. "Let's go."

 **A/N: I don't know how I feel about this chapter. It was extremely crucial for plot development, but let me know what you guys think! Yes, I know I used PJO clichés but they were all 100% intentional mostly because it made me giggle and if you can't giggle when you write, what's the point? Am I right? To be fair this wasn't my favorite chapter to write, but I think you'll all enjoy the direction the story is starting to take.**

 **I'd love to hear what you guys have to say about this chapter. Also, free cookie to whoever catches the song reference in this chapter. Hint: at the very end.**

 **Thank you to everyone that followed, favorited, and reviewed! (SO MANY REVIEWS FOR CHAPTER 15)** **You guys are the best! Until next time! (also, shout out to SilentSnIper05 for reminding me to actually publish this chapter...it's been done for 12 hours already...)**

 ***Disclaimer: this chapter is unbeta'd***


	17. Chapter 17

Professor Alaster Moody sat in his office staring at the fireplace. The fireplace sparked green, and he stumbled towards it and threw his face into the flames. It took a minute to adjust to the new surroundings and senses, but his vision cleared and Moody found himself staring at a familiar room. In front of him was a rather large and regal chair. Sitting in the chair was a small bundle that was his master. Beside the chair stood a stout man who, even in human form, resembled a rat.

"Master," Moody murmured. "The Jackson boy still has not shown up, and the next task is only two days away."

"Perhaps attacking his mother truly did keep him away for good," Voldemort said. "With him gone, we must focus entirely on Potter. How are your plans for getting him here?"

"I am still working on it," Moody said. "It will not be easy as he is always surrounded by his friends, but I think I might have the perfect plan."

"Excellent," Voldemort nodded. "You are doing well, Crouch. Continue doing well and I may well grant you a place as my right hand."

Moody, also known as Barty Crouch Junior, grinned a toothy grin. "Yes, my lord."

"Now go," Voldemort commanded. "I do not want to hear from you until you have a plan for Potter."

Moody nodded and backed out of the fireplace. He returned to his desk and picked up the letter that he had been reading. Dolohov and Rookwood had been caught. Dolohov, who sent the letter, had managed to escape, but Rookwood was found dead in Knockturn Alley. According to Dolohov, Rookwood had been burnt from the inside. Moody frowned for the hundredth time as he read the letter. He did not know of any spell that would do such a thing. At least not to the degree mentioned in the letter. He needed to figure out who it was that murdered Rookwood, and he would make that person suffer. He growled and threw the letter into the fire just as he heard the sounds of laughter coming from outside his office door. He hobbled to the door and threw it open.

"Constant Vigilance!" he shouted. "Glad you all managed to show up! I expect you all the be on time tomorrow!"

"Yes, Professor Moody."

««‡»»

Percy made his way out of the Forbidden Forest. Artemis had been more than pleased to hear that one of the men responsible for Sally's death had been dealt with. Percy knew that her opinion would change once Thalia told her what had actually happened, so he left the forest as quickly as possible. The crisp February air stung his cheeks as the wind blew over Black Lake with tremendous force. Percy thought about going straight into the castle but hesitated. He needed to see Chiron. Seeing Hagrid's hut, he made his way over.

"Who's there?" came Chiron's voice at Percy's knock.

"It's me, gramps."

The door swung open, and Chiron's stern face appeared. "You're finally back are you?"

Percy blushed. "I...yeah, I'm back."

"Good," Chiron smiled. "Your friends have been going ballistic worrying about you. Where have you been? You completely disappeared after the funeral." Chiron paused. "Where are my manners? Come inside."

Percy stepped inside and looked around. "Where's Hagrid?"

"He's discussing the magical creatures in the Lake with the people in charge of the tournament," Chiron said. "So where were you?"

Percy sat down beside Hagrid's enormous dog, scratching him behind the ears. "I went to the Underworld for a while." His voice was low as though full of shame. "I saw everyone. Annabeth, the Stolls, Charlie, Selina, Zoe..."

"How are they?" Chiron asked softly.

"Happy," Percy nodded. "They're happy. It was almost...cathartic to see them. Of course, they spent a lot of time yelling at me for blaming myself. Well, not really yelling, but you know."

Chiron nodded. "You were gone for a long time, though. Were you down there the entire time?"

Percy shook his head. "I actually spent a few weeks training with Jason and his wife Medea." Chiron's eyes grew wide. "Medea taught me how to use proper magic without having to rely on a wand. Jason taught me how to fight even better."

"Jason always was one of my best pupils," Chiron said softly. "I never met Medea."

"She's lovely," Percy said. "But eventually, Hades called my dad who came and took me out of the Underworld. That was towards the end of January."

"And where have you been since?"

"Olympus."

Chiron cocked his head. "Why Olympus?"

"They trained me," Percy said. "Each of the Olympians took time to train me. Artemis taught me how to track and how to fight a more heavily armed opponent. Apollo trained me in quick and simple battle medicine. Ares taught me how to use a spear properly, and stuff like that."

"Zeus trained you as well?" Chiron asked in surprise. Percy nodded.

"Not willingly and definitely not a lot. He mostly trained me in how to take down an opponent much larger than myself. It worked well with Artemis' lessons, I guess."

"That is...quite a lot, Percy," Chiron said.

"I know," Percy said quietly. "I...I then found a couple magical people in New York. They led me to a werewolf of all people."

"A werewolf?"

"Yup," Percy nodded. "His name is Remus Lupin, and apparently he was best friends with Harry's dad. He's not what I expected. He's not violent or angry, he's actually the complete opposite. He really hates his disease."

"Interesting," Chiron murmured, having never met a werewolf like that. "And what happened with this werewolf?"

Percy rubbed Fang's belly. "He gave me some more back story into what has happened to Harry the last few years. Eventually, he told me to find another man-Harry's godfather."

"And did you find him?"

"I did," Percy nodded. "His name is Sirius Black. Apparently, he was accused of betraying Harry's parents and getting them killed. He was unjustly thrown in prison for twelve years before he escaped to track down the true traitor. That happened last year."

"Sirius told you all this?"

"No, Remus did. Apparently Harry has had some serious crap happen to him the last few years. Anyways, I found Sirius and he already knew some of what happened with me recently from Harry. I brought him here to Hogsmeade and told him that we would all meet after the next task is done."

"Does Thanatos know?"

Percy shook his head. "I don't trust him. I know he came forward with all that information, but I don't trust him."

"Good," Chiron said. "Thanatos still has links to Hecate, and until break her control over him, we need to be careful with what he knows."

"I agree," Percy nodded. Chiron took in Percy's appearance. He certainly looked much older and more powerful, but his clothes looked like they were stained a dark color and they looked quite worn.

"Where did you come from before here?" Chiron asked. Percy looked at him, and Chiron saw the brokenness in Percy's eyes.

Percy eyed him for a moment before sighing. "Thalia and I tracked down the men responsible for killing mom and Paul. We confronted them, and I killed one of them." Percy rubbed his legs nervously. "I lost control for a bit. I destroyed one of them, Chiron."

Chiron rolled forward to him and placed a hand on Percy's shoulder. "Everyone loses control at times. You may have done something terrible, but that doesn't mean you are terrible. The fact that you know what you did wrong is evidence enough that you are still the Percy Jackson we all know and love."

Percy gave a weak smile and turned away. He looked through the window beside him up at the castle. It was still early in the afternoon meaning the students were currently in class. "So what's been going on here?"

Chiron leaned back in his chair. "A lot of people came around trying to get information on you. The tournament officials were quite infuriated that you were missing, but after what happened no one was going to complain. You are supposed to meet with Tha-Dumbledore and the tournament officials as soon as you return so that they know you are still competing."

Percy nodded. "And with Harry and everyone?"

"They miss you a lot, Percy," Chiron said softly. "You never told anyone where you were going. I tried Iris messaging you, but it never went through."

Percy scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I had Iris block communication for a while."

Chiron glared at him but nodded. "I guess I can understand. Just next time don't do that to us. You have people that love and care about you."

"I promise," Percy said. "I should probably head up to the castle then." He grimaced. "Gods, I really don't want to go back to class."

"Think of that as your punishment for abandoning all of us," Chiron said.

"Worse than the Fields of Punishment," Percy grumbled as he stood up. Chiron grinned at him as Percy walked towards the door.

"I'm glad you're back, Percy. We missed you."

"I missed you all too," Percy said honestly. "Have a good night, Chiron."

"You too," Chiron waved. When Percy left the hut, Chiron sighed in relief. Grover had contacted him after the funeral to tell him that Percy was gone and probably doing something stupid. After that, Grover said he no longer felt the empathy link anymore. Perhaps Percy had the link removed during his time in the Underworld. He wasn't sure how it would be possible, but Grover was insistent that he could no longer feel Percy at all. Chiron watched Percy head up to the castle through the window. Oh how he hoped that Percy found something to keep him grounded. Percy losing control was disconcerting. Chiron was sure that he only regained control because Thalia was there. If she hadn't been...Chiron shivered. He didn't want to think of what Percy could do.

««‡»»

"I'm telling you," drawled Draco Malfoy. "I would make a much better champion than that idiot Jackson." His flock of mindless sheep all murmured their agreement as Daphne and Tracey fought to hide their eye rolls and sneers. Ever since Percy had gone missing, Draco had begun spouting to anyone that would listen that Percy had been scared to death by the first task and had run away. At first people ignored him...until the Prophet published an article that quoted Draco. Now, people were certain that Percy had run away like the 'true coward' he was. Daphne wanted nothing more than to hext the blonde ponce into oblivion.

"So what happens if he doesn't show up by tomorrow?" asked Theodore Nott.

"If it were up to me," Draco said, "Jackson would get expelled and lose his magic. That's the price you pay for humiliating us all." Daphne and Tracey couldn't hide their eye rolls. Thankfully, no one saw them as they were in the back of the group.

Today's classes had dragged on longer than most. DADA with Moody and the Gryffindors had been the most manageable class since Daphne and Tracey could speak ever so briefly with their friends-Daphne was starting to think something was going on between her best friend and Harry-but other than DADA the rest of the day had been awful. Draco was worse than usual now with the task being the next morning. Daphne hoped upon hope that Percy would return. Now it was the afternoon and classes were just finishing for the day, and they were forced to follow Draco and his sheep to the dungeons.

"You would make a terrific champion, Draco," gushed Pansy. Draco puffed up his chest.

"I would make the greatest-"

"Dragon feed," interrupted someone from behind the group. Daphne and Tracey's eyes widened and they whirled around. Standing in front of them was a man with short hair but a very powerful looking beard. His skin was a very attractive tan, and his green eyes practically glowed. He smiled at Daphne and Tracey and stepped past them. Draco's face burned a brilliant red, and he drew his wand on the man.

"What are you doing here, Jackson?" Draco hissed.

"Walking," Percy grinned. "Is that against the rules?"

"You should be expelled for not returning to Hogwarts sooner." Draco pointed his wand at Percy. His sheep all drew their wands, but hesitated as they took Percy's figure in. He had grown even taller since before Christmas and his already powerful figure seemed to be even more trimmed. If Percy hadn't looked like a Greek sculpture before, he certainly did now. Daphne and Tracey didn't draw their wands, they were too stunned by Percy's arrival to do anything but gape at him. His clothes looked quite dirty as though Percy had been roughing it out in the woods all week. Instead of responding to him, Percy simply looked at Draco as though he were bored and turned his back, walking down the hall in the direction of the headmaster's office. "Don't walk away from me, Jackson!"

Draco growled and fired a spell at Percy. Daphne and Tracey gasped but resisted the urge to warn him. If they warned him it would only mean trouble for them. Instead they looked on in horror as the sickly orange spell shot through the hall at Percy's back. Just as the spell was about to hit, Percy whirled around and slashed his wand. Daphne hadn't even seen him draw his wand, but he did. He slashed his wand and a gold shield erupted in front of him. The orange spell hit the shield harmlessly. Percy, instead of getting mad, simply sniffed and continued walking down the hall. Draco, too stunned to react, simply stared at the retreating form of Percy Jackson. Daphne smiled brilliantly. Percy, the boy she was falling for, had returned and even better, he had made Draco look like a fool.

Draco roared with anger and stomped towards the dungeons, his sheep following. Daphne and Tracey hesitated before turning around and making their way to the library as fast as they possibly could. They knew that Hermione had coaxed Harry and Ginny into studying after class, and they just had to know what had just happened.

"He's back," Tracye mumbled. "I can't believe it! And did you see him? He's even _more_ gorgeous than before."

Daphne could only nod. She had noticed alright. "I've never seen a shield like that before."

"Do you think he was gone learning more magic?" Tracey asked.

"Could be," Daphne nodded. "He said that he wasn't good with magic since it isn't natural for him. That could explain it."

"I'll bet you're excited to have him back," Tracey grinned as they walked. Daphne blushed.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Mmhmm," Tracey laughed. "Relax, I'm sure he'll be excited to see you. Didn't you see him smile at you?"

"He smiled at you too," Daphne countered. Tracey shrugged.

"Yeah, but his eyes were all on you."

Daphne said nothing, just kept walking to the library. When they arrived, they looked around to make sure no other Slytherin was there. Thankfully, Slytherin house was known for hiding out in the dungeons after class. They weren't really known for going to the library unless it was necessary. They made their way through the library to their normal table. Hermione and Harry were comparing notes while Ginny sat across from them reading a book. Tracey rushed over and shook Harry's shoulder.

"Guess what!" she squealed. Harry smiled at her enthusiasm.

"What?"

"Percy's back!"

Hermione, Harry, and Ginny all stood up immediately.

"What?" screeched Hermione. "When?"

"We just saw him," smiled Daphne. "Draco was talking about how he would make the greatest champion and Percy interrupted him from out of nowhere! He smiled at us and then walked past Draco who tried to curse him."

"What happened?" asked Harry, his eyes wide.

"Percy just turned around and blocked the spell!" Tracey said. "It was amazing!"

"We need to find him!" Harry said. "Where did he go?"

"I think he was going to Dumbledore's office," said Daphne.

"Professor Dumbledore," Hermione corrected, though her tone revealed she really didn't care. Daphne rolled her eyes but nodded.

"He probably won't be done with their meeting for a while."

"Thanks for telling us," Ginny smiled. She sat back down and the others followed her lead. Daphne noticed that Tracey sat rather close to Harry. She narrowed her eyes but decided to wait till later to question her. Daphne and Tracey pulled out their books and began to study until Daphne looked up at the time and started putting her things away.

"We should get going. We'll see you all after dinner?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"We'll make sure to get Percy here too," he said. Daphne smiled and nodded as she and Tracey got up.

"See you later guys," Tracey smiled, and they left the library. Daphne eyed her friend who had a noticeable spring in her step.

"So what's up with you and Potter?"

««‡»»

Percy stepped into Dumbledore's office and was pleased with the looks of shock on McGonagall and Snape's faces. "I'm back."

"Where have you been, Mr. Jackson?" McGonagall asked sternly. "You cannot just miss classes and show up whenever you want."

Percy shrugged. "I'm not technically a student here, at least, my education here does not matter much to me."

McGonagall huffed and Snape eyed him suspiciously.

"It is alright, Minerva," Dumbledore said. "Percy is correct in that his education here is of no consequence to him, but Percy, we would very much like to know where you went."

"I was in the Underworld," Percy said simply. McGonagall and Snape's eyes bulged, and Dumbledore's twinkling eyes flashed with even more amusement.

"The Underworld you say?"

Percy nodded. "I spent a week or two there yes. Then I was on Olympus for the rest of the time."

McGonagall and Snape gasped. The greasy-haired potions professor leaned back in his seat. "You were on Olympus?"

"It wasn't my first time," Percy shrugged. "The gods wanted to have a chat with me."

"What about?" asked Dumbledore. Percy shook his head.

"Nothing I can discuss here."

Dumbledore nodded his head. Anything Percy told him would get back to Hecate. Dumbledore leaned forward over his desk and interlocked his fingers in front of him. "Your disappearance has caused quite a stir, Percy."

"I am sorry about that," Percy said. "I honestly did not mean to cause any issues, but I'm back now and I'm ready for the next task."

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent. I will send word to Mr. Bagman as soon as we conduct our business here."

"What exactly _is_ our business here?" asked Percy. "What's been going on here?"

"Nothing you need to concern yourself with," said Snape.

"It is alright," Dumbledore said. "We were simply discussing what would happen should you not be here for the next task, but as Professor Snape just said, now that you are here you do not need to concern yourself with it. However, we do now have something else we need to figure out for tomorrow which, I'm afraid, you cannot take part in as a champion."

"Such as?"

"That would be cheating," Dumbledore smiled. "We do need to discuss your education."

Percy groaned. "How about instead of returning to my normal classes since I'm so far behind, I just join the fourth years?"

The professors all smiled, though Percy had to hold back a shiver at seeing Snape smile. It was unnatural. Dumbledore nodded, his smile still in place. "I believe that is an adequate solution. Especially seeing as how you are not exactly here at Hogwarts to learn. However, in fairness, you must serve detention every evening."

"Great," Percy grumbled.

"Your detention will be with Madam Pince in the library," Dumbledore continued as though he hadn't heard him. "You will be required to stay after the normal hours are over. I believe that is reasonable?"

Percy grinned. Of all the detentions, that was the best option.

"Now, I'm sure your friends are dying to see you."

"Yeah...not really looking forward to the yelling," Percy grimaced. Detention was a far kinder punishment.

"I doubt they will yell," said McGonagall with a hint of a smile. "I'd go with a stinging hex."

"Great," Percy grumbled and turned to the door. "You'll let the tournament people know I'm back?" Dumbledore nodded. Percy smiled. "Alright, well have a good evening."

"You as well, Mr. Jackson," said Dumbledore and McGonagall. Snape simply nodded at him. Percy waved goodbye and left the office leaving the three adults alone.

"He was in the _Underworld_?" McGonagall asked incredulously. "How do you just go into the Underworld? And was that _blood_ on his shirt?"

"I believe that Percy has a rather strong connection with his uncle," said Dumbledore. "And being a demigod, I do not doubt that he found himself some trouble in his time away. The blood is no surprise really."

McGonagall shivered. She tried to ignore the thought of Percy covered in blood. Instead, she asked, "who is his uncle?"

"Hades, god of the Underworld."

McGonagall shook her head, completely baffled. "All of this is too much at times."

"I'm just glad he's on our side," Snape said. "Could you imagine having to go to war with the son of Poseidon and the nephew of Zeus and Hades?"

McGonagall shook her head. "Merlin no."

"Percy is a powerful young man," Dumbledore said. "This upcoming challenge will be quite fascinating."

"How so?" asked McGonagall.

"He's the son of the god of the sea," Dumbledore said. "From what I know, Percy is at his strongest in water."

Snape's eyes widened. "And with the next task being in the lake..."

"Percy may just prove to the entire world just how powerful he really is," Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I believe we have much to look forward to. Now, we need to figure out who his hostage will be. I already have someone in mind, though it may make things rather difficult."

"Who?" asked McGonagall. "It's not any of his friends is it?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "No. Her name is Thalia Grace."

««‡»»

Percy walked into the Gryffindor common room. There were several people in lounging around, waiting for dinner. A few looked up and noticed him, and Percy had to stifle a laugh at their looks of shock. He knew that seeing him appear all of a sudden must be quite a surprise. Especially now that he looked different than he did the last time anybody had seen him. Percy passed through the common room and made his way upstairs to shower. His shirt reeked and the spell he had put on it to hold the smell back was now starting to fade.

Percy walked into his dorm room which was empty. Likely, the twins and Lee were out and about causing all sorts of mischief. Percy walked over to his bed. His things were still there. His camp shirts, his minotaur horn. He grabbed clean clothes and grabbed his school robe. It felt odd seeing it again after so long. He shrugged though and went to the shower. The warm water was a tremendous comfort to him. The steam filled his nose and passed through his body, calming him immediately. All the tension in his muscles from the last several hours vanished down the drain. Percy took a deep breath as he cleaned off the dried blood on his legs. He wasn't sure how long he had been in the shower, but by the time he was done, the entire bathroom was full of steam. Percy dried himself off and put his clothes on. Finally feeling clean did a lot to improve Percy's mood. His stomach growled angrily, and he realized that he had gone several hours without eating. Cursing himself, Percy headed down the stairs to the common room to go to the kitchens. However, sitting on the couches in front of the fireplace were three people he desperately wanted to see and desperately wanted to avoid.

Harry turned his head at the sound of someone coming down the stairs and smiled brilliantly up at Percy. He rushed out of his chair and tackled Percy into a hug. Percy gasped as the wind was knocked out of his lungs, but chuckled and hugged Harry back.

"Missed you too, bud," Percy said. Hermione and Ginny approached him, both smiling as well. "Missed you two too."

"Where have you been?" asked Harry, pulling back and punching Percy's shoulder good naturedly.

"We were all so worried!" said Hermione, taking her turn to hug him. Percy hugged her back and then hugged Ginny as well.

"How about I tell you all later, like after dinner? That way I can tell you both and Tracey and Daphne as well all at once," Percy suggested. "Plus, I am starving."

The other three seemed a bit put out that they wouldn't get to hear the story immediately, but nodded. Harry led them out of the common room. "That sounds fair," he said.

"You look different," Ginny said as they walked down the halls. "Like you're older and more mature."

Percy shrugged. "A lot has happened since I last saw you all."

"I'm sorry about your mom," Hermione whispered. Harry and Ginny both apologized as well. Harry gave Percy a side hug. Sally had been so kind to him too.

"Thank you," Percy said softly. "I still miss her a lot, but I think I got some closure while I was gone. I'll explain later though."

They nodded and left it at that. They followed Percy down the halls, avoiding large groups of students, and made their way to the kitchens. Harry and Hermione hesitated for a moment before following Percy and Ginny inside. Neither of them had ever actually seen what Percy did before meals.

A house elf popped in front of Percy. "Mister Jackson! Yous is back! Yipsy is so happy to see Mister Jackson! Yipsy has yous' and Miss Weasely's plates!" Yipsy turned over to Hermione and Harry. "Does your friends wants plates too?"

Percy looked at Hermione and Harry who shrugged. He turned back to Yipsy and shook his head. "No thanks, Yipsy. They're just here to watch. Thank you for preparing plates for me and Ginny though. I definitely missed you while I was gone." Yipsy's eyes grew wide and the little house elf began to cry, disappearing to deal with his emotions and pointing to Percy and Ginny's plates.

Percy grabbed his plate and handed Ginny hers before approaching the large furnace in the center of the kitchen. He cut a small piece of his steak and tossed it in the fire. "For Poseidon." The fire burned brightly and again when Ginny tossed hers. Hermione and Harry watched in surprise. Percy placed his plate back and Ginny did so as well. They returned to their friends who stared at them with confusion.

"Was that it?" asked Harry. "I expected more...I don't know. I expected more."

"Nope," Percy said. "That's it. I just sacrifice a portion of each meal to the gods. Well, specifically to dad."

"What does sacrificing do?" asked Hermione, intrigued. Percy led them out of the kitchen and back into the hall.

"It keeps the gods from fading," Percy said. "If a god is forgotten, they fade. Pan, the god of nature, faded a few years ago. People just stopped caring about the world and forgot about him. It was really sad to watch."

"That's awful!" Ginny said. "How can anybody stop caring about the world?"

"It happens," Percy said. "The more buildings and cities that are built, the less nature there is."

"My aunt and uncle hate all things nature too," Harry said. Ginny continued to fume, furious that anybody would treat the world with such disrespect. The Burrow was surrounded by nature. She loved their orchard, their lake, just everything about it. She couldn't imagine living in a world without those things.

When they reached the Great Hall, Percy took a deep breath. He knew he was going to have a lot of stares. Harry patted his shoulder in comfort, and Percy exhaled and opened the doors. He strode inside and headed for the Gryffindor table. The Great Hall was already full and people were just beginning to start eating but stopped when they saw who it was. It was only a few seconds before the entire Gryffindor table erupted in cheers. Then the Hufflepuff table began cheering and the Ravenclaws followed. Percy smiled at them as he took his seat. Dumbledore raised a glass at him, his eyes twinkling. Many at the Gryffindor table tried to ask Percy all sorts of questions. Several apologized for his loss, to which Percy just smiled and said thank you. It was an interesting meal. Eventually, the Hall returned to normal. That is, until everyone's eyes were drawn to the Hufflepuff table. Cedric Diggory got up from his seat and approached Percy. Percy turned to look at him, and stood up when Cedric was in front of him. The Hall watched them with baited breath.

"You're back," Cedric said. Percy nodded.

"I'm back."

Cedric watched him for a moment before grinning and pulling a surprised Percy into a hug. "Welcome back, Jackson." Cedric pulled back. "I'm sorry about your family."

"Thanks," Percy said, still confused. Cedric grinned and returned to his seat. The Hall sat in stunned silence, they had been sure that Cedric would have been furious to have Percy return. Just as they were about to return to their desserts, Krum and Fleur stood up as well and approached Percy. The Durmstrang and Beauxbatons champions both shook Percy's hands, and Fleur kissed Percy's cheek. Only Daphne, who had been watching the interaction with narrowed scrutiny, noticed that Percy's eyes flashed dangerously when Fleur approached him as though he were angry to be around her. His hand had started to go for his pocket before he stopped himself. Daphne wasn't sure what that meant.

"We are glad to have the fourth champion back," they both said in their own words. Percy smiled at them both though his smile to Fleur was somewhat forced.

"Gotta make it a challenge for you both, don't I?"

They grinned and returned to their tables. Percy sat back down and finished his dessert, ignoring the stares. When he finished, he wiped his mouth and stood up. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

His Gryffindor friends nodded, and Percy walked out of the Hall. As he walked, he turned to Draco and gave the blonde boy a cheeky grin before stepping out of the hall. In truth, Percy just needed to get away from it all for a moment. He hadn't been around so many people since before Christmas break. It was a bit much for him. As he walked to the library, he rubbed his leather band absentmindedly, the cold leather comforting him. The memory of what he had done to Rookwood still played in his mind. If it hadn't been for Thalia, he wasn't sure what he would have done to the man. Yes, Rookwood deserved to die for what he did, but did he deserve to be burned alive with his own blood? Percy himself shivered at the thought. Then it struck him. He had killed someone. Sure, he had killed before. Empousai, giants, monsters of all kinds, and even rogue demigods. But this was different. This was the first time Percy had ever killed a mortal. Bile rose up his throat and he stumbled into an alcove before retching.

"What have I done?" he whispered. It was sickening. Sickening not just because he had killed a mortal man, but because he knew that if he had the choice to do it again he would. Percy wiped the bile from the corners of his mouth and willed water to come out of his ring and into his mouth. He sloshed it around to clean it out from the putrid taste before spitting it on the floor. He waved his new wand and cleaned up the mess. The smell still lingered ever so slightly in the air as Percy went back into the hallway and made it to the library.

Stepping into the massive expanse of knowledge was oddly familiar and comforting for him. So often last semester, Percy had spent time in the library trying to learn about magic and failing miserably, but he had also spent a lot of time getting to know his new friends. And honestly, if he was being true to himself, he really enjoyed their company. Yes, the loss of his old friends still hurt him terribly and it always would, but it was almost as though Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Tracey, and Daphne had filled a void in his heart and in his life. He cared about them, he truly did. All it took was his friends in the Underworld to make him see it.

" _You can't keep blaming yourself," Charlie said, placing a hand on Percy's shoulder. "We all made our own decisions. We chose to fight in that war because we could and because we wanted to do what was right. Our deaths are on no one's hands except for Kronos'."_

" _I can't just stop blaming myself all of a sudden," Percy said. "I look back at the battle, and I see my mistakes. I see what I could have done differently to protect you all."_

 _Silena pulled Percy into a hug. "You are too good a person, Percy. You want to protect everyone, and that is such an admirable thing."_

" _But you can't always be there to protect those you love," said Katie from behind Silena. "Sometimes things happen that you cannot change. You need to accept that it isn't your fault."_

 _Percy's eyes brimmed with tears. "How can you guys say that? You're dead because of me!"_

" _No," said Bianca, approaching him. "We are dead because of Kronos and his goons. None of this is your fault."_

" _Plus," said Charlie. "We actually really enjoy Elysium."_

 _Silena snuggled into Charlie's embrace, wrapping her arms around his waist. "We are at peace now, Percy. We are happy. We miss the world, we really do, and we miss you too."_

" _We have found peace, Perce," said the Stoll brothers. "It's time you did too."_

" _I don't know if I can just 'find peace,'" Percy said softly. "All of you are gone, and now so are mom and Paul. I just don't know if I can keep going."_

" _You can and you will," said Annabeth. Percy looked up at his old friend. "We are gone, but you still have people that love and care about you. People you need to return to."_

" _Are you guys watching me?" asked Percy confused. Their mischievous grins told him everything he needed to know. He grumbled, "at least give me_ some _privacy."_

 _Charlie laughed. "Relax, Perce. We don't watch you all the time. Only enough to see that that Harry kid really looks up to you. You're like his older brother."_

" _And so do Hermione and Ginny," Annabeth nodded. "They care about you. That Tracey girl too."_

" _And Daphne," Silena smiled. Percy blushed, and Silena gave him a knowing smile._

 _Percy looked at them all and opened his arms for a hug. They weren't solid, being ghosts, but the small comfort of being helped his soul heal ever so slightly. "I love you guys."_

" _We love you too," they all laughed._

Percy wiped a tear at the memory, smiling to himself as he remembered his time with his friends. Oh how he missed them, but they were right. He had people here still that cared about him, and he would do everything he could to protect them. Percy took a breath as he sat down at his normal table. As he exhaled, he felt so much of his pain and anger leave his body. It was...an odd feeling, feeling collected and relaxed. He still felt the pain of losing his friends, but seeing and talking with them again had healed his soul ever so slightly, and he was all the better for it. He noticed a note on the table addressed to him. It was a list of instructions from Madam Pince. He was supposed to clean up the library without using any magic. Still, the work couldn't sour his good mood.

"You look happy," said Hermione, sitting down beside him. Harry and Ginny sat down at the table as well, grinning at their friend. Percy smiled at Hermione.

"I am."

"Care to tell us why?" she asked. Percy shook his head.

"I'll tell you when Daphne and Tracey get here."

"Wait's over then," said Daphne with a mischievous grin as she and Tracey stepped into their little alcove in the library. Percy smiled brightly at them and stood up. He held his arms open for a hug and was not disappointed. Daphne, abandoning all pretenses, rushed forward and into his arms. He smelled like the ocean, and it simultaneously comforted her and sent shivers down her spine. She also couldn't help but feel his powerful muscles. The closest she had ever gotten to him had been when they danced at the ball, but this was different. Percy too was enjoying himself. He took a breath. She smelled of lilac and gooseberries which sent a shiver down his own spine. She looked up at him, her blue eyes sparkling with affection and not a little bit of concern, "I'm so so sorry about your family."

Percy smiled fondly at her. "Thank you."

"Alright, alright," Tracey grinned. "Stop hogging him all to yourself, and let me get a hug." Percy laughed and let go of a blushing Daphne, his cheeks a slight tinge of pink as well. He pulled Tracey into a hug. Her hug was different. Where Daphne's had been passionate and intimate, Tracey's was much more relaxed. She pulled away herself and grinned at him. "Have you been working out?"

"Among other things," he laughed, taking his seat again. Daphne sat down beside him, and Tracey sat down beside Harry.

"So we're all here," Ginny said. "Just tell us already!"

Percy smiled softly and leaned back in his chair. "Well, after my mom's funeral, I disappeared for a while."

"Where did you go?" asked Harry.

"Somewhere no one should probably ever go," Percy said coyly. They glared at him. "Alright, alright. I was in the Underworld."

They sputtered. Harry's eyes widened. "Like, hell?"

Percy shrugged. "It's not really hell the way you are probably thinking. The Underworld is where everyone goes when they die...unless you are put in the sky, but I only know of one person like that." They looked at him in confusion, but he shook his head. "The Underworld is sort of divided. There are the Fields of Asphodel where souls that do not wish to be judged or souls that did not do enough good or bad in their lives go. There's also the Fields of Punishment which is probably what you imagine when you think of hell."

His friends all sat and thought about that. It was such a strange thought to think of the afterlife as an actual place.

"Where were you?" asked Harry.

"I went to the other place," Percy said. "I was in Elysium."

"Elysium," murmured Hermione. "That's where heroes and virtuous people go isn't it?"

Percy nodded. "It's where all my friends and mom and Paul are."

Ginny's eyes widened. "You went to visit them?"

"I did," Percy nodded. "I got to see all my friends again. It was...cathartic to be honest."

"Did you see your mom?" asked Daphne softly. Percy shook his head.

"I couldn't. There are some ancient laws that even I can't break."

They sat in silence for a while before Tracey piped up. "How exactly did you go to the Underworld? You're not dead are you?"

Percy laughed. "No, I'm not dead. The entrance to the Underworld is actually in Hollywood."

Daphne and Ginny looked lost at the reference but Hermione, Tracey, and Harry all guffawed.

"Hollywood?" Hermione asked. "Seriously?"

"Yup!" Percy nodded. "It's right underneath the giant 'H' of the Hollywood sign."

Harry shook his head. "That's too weird."

"What's Hollywood?" asked Daphne.

"Hollywood is a city in California," Hermione said. "It's where a lot of movies are made and where movie stars live."

"What are movies?" asked Ginny.

"They're like moving pictures but with sound," said Tracey. "Remember we watched a movie one time, Daph? The one with the guy in all black trying to find his lost love?"

Daphne's eyes widened. "Oh yeah! I like movies."

"Princess Bride?" Hermione asked with a smile. Tracey nodded with her own smile.

"I've never seen a movie," said Harry quietly. Percy frowned.

"We'll have a movie day sometime then," he said. "All of us."

"Magic interferes with movies," said Tracey. "The only reason Daph and I could watch it is because we were in my house which is not really full of magical items."

"I think I know a place," Percy grinned.

"Where?"

"That would be telling," Percy laughed. "You'll all see someday. Maybe this summer."

"I'd like that," Daphne said, smiling pleasantly at him. Ginny nodded as well.

"So were you in the Underworld the entire time?" asked Harry. "We tried to send you owls, but they always returned with our letters unopened."

Percy shook his head. "No, I was only there for a few weeks. I spent some time there training with people like Medea who was a sorceress in Ancient Greece. I am much better at magic now."

"That explains how you blocked Draco's spell," Tracey said. Percy nodded.

"Exactly. But like I said, I was only there for a few weeks before Uncle Hades had my dad come and take me to Olympus."

Hermione spluttered again. "Olympus? As in the home of the gods?"

The others' eyes widened in shock. Percy just chuckled.

"Yes, Olympus. I've actually been there a few times now. It's absolutely stunning," he said.

"What were you doing there?" asked Harry.

"Training," Percy said. "Each of the Olympians trained me in combat or healing or other skills. The ancient laws say that they cannot interfere in the affairs of mortals which means that when we do eventually go to war against Voldemort and Hecate, they will not be able to fight with us. Instead, they trained me so that I can fight better."

"And train us?" asked Harry. Percy nodded.

"And train you."

It grew quiet as everyone contemplated Percy's words. They couldn't imagine all the places Percy had been or all the things he had done, but they trusted him. If the gods were siding with him, they knew that they may have a good chance of winning the coming war. Harry especially could not help but feel incredibly relieved to have Percy on his side. Percy watched them all, and was rather proud of them. Instead of freaking out about the coming war, all he saw was their determination.

"So that's where I was," Percy said eventually. "I'm sorry for not letting you all know." He purposefully left out that he had gone after Rookwood and Dolohov. He wasn't sure at all how they would react.

"It's okay," Hermione said. "You're back now and that's what matters."

The others nodded in agreement, and Percy smiled. "Thanks guys."

"So are you ready for the task tomorrow?" asked Tracey. Percy shrugged.

"Sure," he said. "I already know where it is and what I have to do. I doubt it'll be bad at all."

"Well, you already beat a dragon," Daphne said. "Literally."

Percy grinned. "I'm full of surprises, Greengrass."

The others rolled their eyes, but laughed. It was good to finally all be together again. They pulled out their bags and began working on their homework. Percy himself groaned as he looked at the enormous stack of books on the table. He had so much to catch up on. He figured the practical stuff with actually using magic wouldn't be a hassle now after his training with Medea, but the theoretical stuff? That would be torture.

"You should start studying, Percy," said Hermione. Percy stuck his tongue out at her.

"I don't wanna."

Hermione rolled her eyes at his childish antics. "You don't want to fail do you?"

Percy grinned. "Wouldn't be the first time."

"You've failed classes before?" asked Daphne in surprise. Percy blushed.

"More like got kicked out of school."

Tracey roared with laughter, and Percy was glad that they had placed lasting silencing charms on the room. Tracey wiped her eyes. "You've actually been kicked out of school before?"

"Six times," Percy said with a laugh. Daphne and Tracey's eyes bugged out. Hermione began grumbling angrily under her breath. "In my defense, however, only twice did I actually deserve it."

"What did you do?" asked Daphne.

"He shot a cannon ball at his school bus," Harry said with a laugh. Tracey choked before falling on the floor laughing. Daphne, who had learned quite a bit about the muggle world from spending time with Tracey just shook her head in amusement. Percy just grinned at them, as though prideful of his actions. Hermione smacked him in the back of the head.

"Ouch woman!"

"Study!"

"Fine, mom," Percy grumbled. Hermione rolled her eyes as Percy pulled out a book and pretended to study it. They all settled down and began studying again. Every now and then, they would help each other out. Whenever it came to the theory of magic, Hermione was extremely helpful. The practical side of magic, though, fell to each of Percy's other friends. Harry, unsurprisingly, was unbelievably skilled at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Ginny was good at transfiguration. Tracey was actually quite good at potions, and seemed to help Harry out a lot. Percy wasn't sure if it was because Harry was just really bad at it, or if there was something more going on there. Daphne, too, was very good at charms. She pointed out a few things to Percy in his books, and, as embarrassed as he was to ask for help, she helped read some parts out loud to him. Percy found he really enjoyed the help though, mostly because he loved the sound of her voice. _Gods,_ he thought to himself. _I really am starting to fall for this girl aren't I?_

Eventually, Hermione began packing up her things, and the others took it as a sign that it was time to head back to the dorms. Percy, however, did not put his things away. When the others looked at him, he told them that he had to stay in the library a little longer for detention for missing so many classes. He didn't tell them he'd be joining their classes. He figured that would be a nice little surprise. They nodded and started leaving when Daphne hesitated at the exit.

"Stay with him," Tracey said quietly. "I know how badly you've missed him. I'll be fine going to the dorms."

Daphne smiled and thanked Tracey before returning to the alcove. Tracey turned to walk back to the Slytherin dorms but felt unsure in the moment. She took a deep breath and was about to head through the darkened school when she smelled the familiar scent of broomstick polish and treacle tart. She smiled to herself.

"Want me to walk you to your dorm?" asked Harry softly. Tracey smiled at him.

"I'd love that."

Harry grinned and pulled out his invisibility cloak. It wasn't the first time Tracey had seen it. Since they had returned to Hogwarts after the Christmas hols, she and Harry had begun to spend quite a bit of time together-much of which happened after curfew. Daphne was so very close to catching them, even though nothing ever happened. Really, Tracey just enjoyed spending time with Harry and talking with him. Harry told her a little bit about his adventures the last few years, his relationship with his godfather, and Tracey told him about growing up as a half-blood in the magical world. Tracey knew that they had something. Some spark that drew them together, but she refused to be the one to initiate anything. As forward and direct as she was, she was still nervous about it all.

Her thoughts were driven from her mind as Harry began to lead her down the halls. Curfew was still in another thirty minutes, so they didn't need the cloak, but Harry also kept it out just in case they ran into any unwanted surprises. Who knew what would happen if the Slytherins found out she was spending so much time with the hated Gryffindor Golden Boy.

"Can you believe all of what Percy said?" asked Harry, breaking the silence. "Going to the Underworld and Olympus?"

"It's really crazy," Tracey said, "but yeah I believe him. I don't think Percy is a liar."

"I can't imagine going to the Underworld," Harry said. "I hope my parents are in Elysium."

Tracey wrapped her arm around Harry's waist. "I know they are."

Harry smiled at her, and Tracey felt her heart flutter. He wrapped his own arm around her shoulder-she was quite grateful that he was taller than her-and did not remove it as they kept walking. Their pace slowed down, but Tracey didn't mind. She enjoyed the closeness. She sighed when they reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room. This was always the worst part. Leaving him.

"Have a good night, Harry," she said softly, hoping her voice did not betray her displeasure. Unfortunately, Harry was too perceptive for his own good.

"Are you okay, Trace?"

Tracey sighed again and shook her head before looking up into his eyes. "What are we doing, Harry?"

"What do you mean?" he asked confused.

"With us," she clarified. "We spend a lot of time together, and I'm starting to really really enjoy being with you. I just want to know where we are headed."

Harry blushed and scratched his head. "I've been wondering the same thing, honestly."

"And where do you think we are headed then?" Tracey asked.

"I don't know," Harry whispered honestly. "I...I'd be an idiot if I said I didn't like you, Trace. I just don't know what to do. I can't ask you to Hogsmeade because that would reveal that we actually know each other, and I don't want to cause any trouble for you."

Tracey slipped her arms around Harry's sides and hugged him tightly. "You're sweet, Harry. What about we take some time just you and I? There are plenty of places we can get in trouble in around Hogwarts."

Harry blushed at her wiggling eyebrows. "I...er...yeah I'd like that a lot."

Tracey stood up on her toes and planted a small kiss on Harry's cheek, her lips just brushing the corner of his. When she pulled back, both had burning blushes, but she forced hers down and grinned at him. She blew a kiss and opened the door to her common room. "Don't get caught."

Harry watched her slip inside and shook his head, his smile bright and wide. He wondered, not for the first time, just what sort of trouble Tracey Davis had in mind, and further away in the library, Percy was left very alone with his own Slytherin.

As soon as everyone left, Daphne sat back down at the table across from Percy. She put her books back on the table and unrolled her parchment to finish her potions essay. She grinned at Percy's baffled expression. "What? I thought you might like some company."

"If you wanted to get me all alone, Daph, you could have just asked," Percy teased. Daphne rolled her eyes, but smiled. She liked flirty Percy.

"As if I'd actually want to be alone with a Gryffindor."

"I'll have you know that I was only put in Gryffindor so I could be near Harry," Percy said. "Otherwise I'd be in Hufflepuff."

"Loyal are you?" Daphne asked, setting her quill down and resting her cheeks in her hands, her elbows up on the table. Percy shrugged.

"It's my fatal flaw."

Daphne cocked her head. "What's a fatal flaw?"

"Every demigod has one," Percy said. "We get them from our parents. It's a character trait of ours that is so strong that it could potentially get us killed."

Daphne shivered at that. She did not like the thought of Percy being killed. Then it clicked. She hadn't actually learned anything about Percy's past. She and Tracey had gotten bits and pieces of it from the Gryffindors, but they had been reluctant to reveal too much saying it was Percy's decision what to tell. Daphne got up and waved her wand. All of the books that they had been using returned to their places.

"I'm not supposed to use magic to clean up," Percy pointed out. Daphne placed a hand on her hip.

"You didn't. I did."

Percy rolled his eyes but laughed. "I guess that works."

Daphne grinned and moved over to the small couch in the alcove. She sat down on one side and patted the other. "How about we just spend some time getting to know one another?"

"That sounds great," Percy smiled as he moved to sit down beside her. "How was Christmas for you?"

"It was great," Daphne said, "except for the part when we found out what happened to you and your family."

Percy sighed and nodded. "Yeah..."

"I'm sorry again," she whispered, putting a hand on his arm. Percy reached up and gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

"I appreciate it."

"What was she like?" Daphne asked quietly. "Your mum."

"She was the most amazing woman in the world," Percy said. "She was so sweet and gentle and kind. She always put others before herself even when it meant staying with that idiot Gabe."

"Who is Gabe?"

"He was my step-dad. He was a greasy sleeze ball that did nothing but drink beer all day and play poker," Percy growled.

"Why did your mother stay with him then?" Daphne asked confused.

"Because of me," Percy said sadly. "She stayed with him for me."

"I don't understand."

Percy looked at her. "Demigods have a certain...scent I guess you'd call it. Monsters are extremely attracted to our scent which makes us easy prey for them. Gabe's nastiness hid my scent from the monsters which kept me safe. Not every demigod survives that long."

"Monsters? Like actual monsters?"

Percy nodded. "Like Laistrygonian giants, cyclops, empousai, hell hounds."

Daphne's eyes widened. "You've had to fight monsters?"

"Every demigod has," he said. "I know Hermione mentioned my summer camp to you?"

Daphne nodded.

"Well, it's not a normal summer camp. It's a camp for demigods where we learn to fight."

"Tell me about it?" she asked softly, her voice conveying her genuine interest in him. Percy couldn't help but smile at her. He told her all about camp. He told her about the lava rock climbing wall, the cabins, the hags that prowled the camp at night after curfew, the forest and all of their camp games. He told her about his quests, though he left out some of the more morbid details such as Bianca and Zoe's deaths, and he also left out some of the things he did such as holding up the sky or landing on Calypso's island. Daphne laughed and smiled at the right times and also gasped in fright as Percy told her everything. In the end, Percy was glad to finally come clean about his past to her, and Daphne found that Percy was an even greater person that she had originally thought. She knew he was holding back in his stories, and that only served to interest her even more.

"Can I see your sword?" she asked when he finished telling her about Luke's final moments. "You talked about it alot and I want to see it."

"Only two hours of talking and you already want to see my sword?" Percy wiggled his eyebrows. "Man, I must be leaving quite the impression."

"We'll have plenty of time for that another time," Daphne whispered, her hand creeping up his arm ever so slowly. Percy blushed mightily, not expecting the response. Daphne laughed and removed her hand. "You're so easy to make blush, Percy. But no, I was talking about Riptide."

Percy glared at her playfully before reaching into his pocket and removing his pen. "There you go."

Daphne looked at it. It was the same object Percy had said he was going to use against the dragon. The one she had insulted him over and very nearly ruined any possibility with him. "That's a pen isn't it? I've seen Tracey use one before. I asked about Riptide, not something to write with."

"This is Riptide," Percy laughed. He uncapped it and the blade sprung forth. Daphne just stared at it.

"That's a pen," she repeated. Percy narrowed his eyes.

"This is a sword," he said. "Can't you see the blade?"

"I'm not stupid," Daphne said angrily. "I know a blade when I see one, and that's not a blade."

Percy's eyes widened as he realized what was going on. "Oh! I think I know what's wrong. Your eyes are being blocked by the mist so you can't see it."

"The mist?" Daphne asked. "What in Merlin's name is that?"

"The mist is a powerful force that hides my world from the mortal world."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Remember when I told you that Ares and I fought back when I was younger?" Daphne nodded. "Well, we were fighting with swords, and the muggle news outlets started recording us. To them, we were using guns and shooting at each other instead of fighting with swords. Mortals can still see us, but the mist distorts everything so mortals only see what is normal to them."

"But I'm a witch," Daphne said. "Why does the mist block me?"

"Because you are a distant descendent," Percy explained. "The mist won't affect you nearly as strongly as it would other mortals, but you'll still be impacted somewhat. I learned how to remove the mist from people's eyes while I was in the Underworld with Medea. I can't remove it from mortals, but I can from witches and wizards. Medea tried to explain how it all works, all the science or arithmanacanacy or whatever it's called."

"Arithmancy?"

"Yeah that. She tried to explain it, but it just went way over my head," Percy laughed. "Bottom line is that I know how to remove it, but you'll need to give me permission first."

Daphne eyed him for a moment before nodding. "I want to see."

"You have to say you give me permission," Percy said softly. "My world is quite strict like that."

Daphne rolled her eyes. "I give you permission to remove the mist from me."

Percy shifted on the couch so that he could face her directly. He made a claw with his hand and placed it over his chest, his fingers out towards Daphne. He closed his eyes in concentration before shoving his hand forward. Daphne, not expecting anything to actually happen, was caught off guard as a powerful force slammed into her and passed through her. She gasped in shock, clutching her chest. Percy opened his eyes and placed a hand on hers. "Are you okay? I've never done it before, so I didn't know it would have that strong an impact."

"I'm okay," Daphne said slowly. "It just caught me off guard. Merlin! I see it now!"

Daphne leaned over and picked up Riptide from off the floor. She held the blade reverently, and Percy realized that it must not be the first time she had held a sword before. Daphne admired Riptide before handing it back to Percy who capped it and put it in his pocket.

"That's amazing," Daphne said softly. "I never knew that there was an entire world hidden from me."

"Now you can see," Percy smiled.

"Can you do this for Tracey and the others?"

"I plan on doing it for everyone tomorrow at the next task," Percy said. Daphne cocked her head.

"What do you mean?"

"You'll just have to wait and see," Percy grinned. Then he seemed to ponder something. "Although, I don't think Ginny will need it."

"Why not?" Daphne asked, hoping her voice did not convey the shot of jealousy that passed through her.

"I'm pretty sure Ginny is a clear-sighted mortal," Percy said. "The mist doesn't affect her."

"Is that normal?"

"It's extremely rare but it's happened," Percy said. "Luke, the guy I fought, his mom was a clear-sighted mortal, and my ex-girlfriend Rachel is one too."

Daphne nodded, but inside she bristled. She hadn't wanted to ask if Percy had ever had a girlfriend out of embarrassment, but he had brought it up himself. Even though they obviously weren't together still, Daphne already disliked this Rachel person. _Merlin_ , she thought. _I've never been jealous before. Why the hell am I now?_

"Shit, it's late," Percy said, standing up. "Come on, I'll walk you to your common room."

Daphne let Percy pull her up to her feet and grabbed her bag, not saying anything as her mind was racing to try and comprehend everything she had learned about Percy and his world. She followed Percy through the halls and down into the dungeons, before her mind finally calmed. She opened the door to her common room when they arrived but hesistated.

"Thank you for tonight," she said softly. "I really enjoyed spending time with you."

Percy grinned. "I did too. Have a good night, Daph."

Daphne stepped forward and hugged him. "Good luck tomorrow. Please be safe."

"I will," Percy promised. "I have no worries about this one."

Daphne looked into his eyes, searching him to make sure he was serious. When she accepted that he was being serious, she nodded and stepped back. "Good night, Percy."

Percy waved goodbye as she closed the door behind her. As soon as it shut, he let out a massive sigh of relief. He had never been so nervous in his entire life. Percy laughed at the thought as he headed up to the Gryffindor common room. He had faced monsters and Titans, but being alone with a beautiful girl made him nervous. _Gods, I'm such a teenager._

««‡»»

By the time the stand had filled and the other champions arrived, Percy had already been down at the lake for several hours. It was a frigid morning, and if it weren't for his power over water, Percy knew he might die of hypothermia. Bagman and Crouch called the champions over to them, and Percy sighed in relief that the task was finally going to start.

"Now, I hope you have all figured out what your task today will be," said Bagman.

"We must find our special ones," said Fleur, her tone hinting at her anger at the task. "If we do not zen we won't see zem ever again."

Bagman flinched at her tone but continued smiling brightly. "Well yes, your task is to find a special hostage. We will announce who your hostages will be to everyone just before we start the task. Now, we must ask if everyone has a way to complete the task?" Their eyes landed on Percy who had been gone for so long.

"I'm good to go," Percy said. Bagman nodded.

"Good! Now please head over to the pier and we will get the task underway!"

As they walked over, Percy hung back. When they got closer to the stands, Percy stopped and closed his eyes. The Olympians had given him a task to complete. Or rather, Apollo had asked him to do something and the other Olympians had agreed. Percy wasn't sure if he was strong enough, but he had to give it a shot. He closed his eyes and turned his body towards everyone present. He formed both hands into claws and placed them over his chest, his fingers facing everyone. He took a deep breath and concentrated hard. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as he drew magic into himself the way Medea had taught him. His hands began to shake and at that moment, Percy thrusted his hands outwards. The powerful force that had removed the mist from Daphne rushed forward and drove through all those present.

Percy heard many gasps of shock and hurried forward to join the other champions before anybody could connect what had happened to him. Bagman, already a weak individual, pulled himself up to his feet after being knocked over.

"Dumbledore what was that?" he cried out. The other judges and headmasters looked at Dumbledore who sat in the judge's booth. Dumbledore made subtle eye contact with Percy. Though he had not been made privy to Percy's task, he knew what had happened.

"I am afraid that the nervousness from our four champions and possibly those in the stands, mixed with the energy in the air, created a small magical backlash."

The judges looked at him for a moment before shrugging.

"As long as everyone is okay, I think we can continue?" Bagman asked, facing the champions. The four of them nodded. "Terrific! Sonorous! Ladies and Gentlemen! Today is our second task in which our four champions must recover a hostage that was chosen specifically for each one. These hostages are the people that mean the most to our champions. For Fleur Delacour, her hostage is her sister, Gabrielle." Fleur paled and her face hardened in anger. "For Cedric Diggory, his hostage is Cho Chang. For Viktor Krum, his hostage is Hermione Granger. For Percy Jackson, his hostage is Thalia Grace."

There were murmurs about Percy's hostage as only a select few in attendance recognized the name. Percy, who figured Thalia would be his hostage, prepared himself. Thalia would not react well to being in water despite his father already promising to not harm her.

"Yes, yes this is very exciting!" Bagman continued. "The champions will have one hour to find their hostages in the lake and bring them back!" He turned to the champions. "Champions, please ready yourselves."

Viktor and Cedric removed their shirts and trousers to reveal their swimming trunks. Fleur also removed her clothes to reveal a very attractive bathing suit. Needless to say, practically everyone in the stands had their undivided attention on the attractive champions. Only Percy remained clothed.

"You are not changing?" asked Bagman. Percy shook his head. He was not going to risk saving a hunter in only swimming trunks. The fact that she was his cousin and best friend would mean nothing to Artemis who had already warned Percy on Olympus about what she would do to him. Bagman coughed, obviously having expected Percy to wear swimming trunks. "Well, alright then. Spectators, please turn your attention to the large screen to your left. The champions will be shown there as they complete their task. Champions! On my mark!" He fired a burst of red sparks in the air and the second task of the TriWizard Tournament was underway.

Cedric and Fleur dove into the water and cast bubblehead charms on themselves much to the pleasure of Flitwick and Madame Maxime. Viktor, however, used human transfiguration to turn his upper body into that of a shark. McGonagall was duly impressed and Professor Karkaroff was already writing down a number ten on his board. Everyone in the stand turned to Percy who remained on the pier. Percy counted to ten, realizing he had a very unfair advantage, before jumping into the water. He knew everyone would be able to see what he was doing, and that was the point.

" _The time for hiding is over, Percy," said Hestia. "With Voldemort returning, people will lose hope. You need to give them that hope back."_

" _You must remove the mist from their eyes," Apollo said. "They need to see you for who you really are."_

 _Percy eyed them both. "Is that really a good idea? I get revealing myself to people here and there, but this is revealing me to the entire magical population. That's millions of people not just in Britain but all over the world."_

" _It will be a challenge," Apollo nodded, his voice serious for once, "but it is necessary. According to Artemis and the hunters, Voldemort is gathering many, many allies including monsters. If you and your friends have any hope of stopping him, you need to rally the magical world together. You need to remind them of their heritage."_

" _So how exactly am I supposed to do all of this?" Percy asked._

" _You must remove the mist from their eyes before your next task."_

" _And then?"_

" _Well, you'll be in water. I think you'll figure out what to do."_

It turned out, what he was supposed to do was much simpler than he had expected: breathing. Percy took a deep breath, relishing the feeling of the water around him and coursing through his veins. Those in the stands craned their necks to try and see if he had gills as was expected for people that used gillyweed to breath underwater, but they could not see any. They also couldn't see any webbing on his hands or feet. Percy swam forward, the water responding to him in ways that none of the witches or wizards watching had ever seen.

As Percy swam forward, he felt the presence of grindylows approaching. He uncapped Riptide and swung to the right just as one of the small monsters leapt out. The monster crumbled to dust and it's pack hesitated before launching a full attack on him. Those watching gasped in shock. Whatever they'd expected to see, this certainly was not it. Percy made a show of killing the grindylows, but eventually he grew tired and threw his hands forward. The water around the monsters froze around them, trapping them in place. Percy nodded and continued forward to the hostages.

Percy neared the hostages and felt another presence. This time, however, he did not uncap Riptide. Instead, he dropped down to the lake floor and walked into the mervillage. Those watching held their breaths, they had no idea what was happening. As Percy walked forward, mermaids and mermen swam up slowly, their eyes wide and in awe of him. One in particular swam up to Percy, a spear in hand.

"My prince," the merman whispered. Above water, people began to whisper amongst themselves. Percy smiled at the merman who immediately bowed. The rest of the merpeople bowed as well, their heads low to the ground. Percy was about to tell them to stand up and not bow to him when water nymphs emerged from around them. They each bowed before him as well. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Please stand, I do not want you to bow to me."

"You do not understand," said the leader of the merpeople. "We have waited centuries for one of the sea to come, and now you are here! You are our prince!"

Percy shook his head. "Just call me Percy, please. Not prince. Just Percy."

The merman nodded adamantly. "Anything, Prince Percy."

Percy groaned. "Look, I appreciate...all of this...but I'm here for my hostage."

The merman nodded and pointed to the center of the village where each hostage was tied down. Percy narrowed his eyes at the sight.

"They are alive!" the merman said quickly. "They are simply in stasis until they emerge from the water."

"Thank you," Percy said with a nod. He walked towards the hostages and cut through the rope holding Thalia down with Riptide.

"Please return to us, Prince Percy," said the merman. "At least to speak with us."

Percy smiled. "I'd like that."

Just as Percy turned to return Thalia back to the pier, another merman blocked his path.

"Neres!" the lead merman cried out. "Step away from them!"

"I want to know just who this human thinks he is," Neres sneered. "We have waited centuries for our lord to arrive and this one just shows up one day, asks for a hostage, and leaves? He is not our lord. He is simply using his magic to trick us all. I for one will not have it!"

Percy scoffed. Hades, merpeople were so cliche.

"What say you, human?" Neres said. "Prove yourself as our lord."

"Or what?"

"Or I do as I was asked by your tournament heads and kill you."

"The tournament heads told you to kill me?" Percy asked, eyebrow raised. Above, Bagman and Crouch cowered beneath the glares from the spectators.

"I am to do everything in my power to prevent you from completing your task," Neres said. "Since you already have your hostage, I am left with no other choice. What say you?"

Percy laid Thalia down on a bed of seaweed and took a step back from Neres. "I am nobody's lord, but I won't let you stop me from saving her."

"Then you will die," Neres said, and he rushed forward, spear in hand. The spectators above shrieked in fright. In water, merpeople were at their strongest. No one survived a confrontation like that. But Percy wasn't just anybody. He grabbed the spear in both hands, catching Neres off guard and threw him backwards. With room to move, Percy grabbed his leather band and pulled out his trident. He heard gasps from the merpeople behind him as they looked at the godly weapon. Neres himself hesitated.

Percy's eyes glowed a brilliant green, and he lifted off the lake bed and floated upwards. Currents rushed around him. The image was reminiscent of a Greco-Roman painting. Neres coward beneath him, knowing full well Percy was indeed his prince.

"I do not want to kill you," Percy said. "Let me save her and allow the other champions to save their hostages, and I will forgive you."

Neres nodded his head quickly. "Yes, milord, yes I beg your forgiveness, milord."

Percy rolled his eyes and returned his trident to his wrist and dropped down to the lake bed. The lead merman approached them.

"My lord, I apologize for Neres. He will be punished for this slight against you."

"No worries," Percy shrugged. "I kinda understand where he was coming from. No harm was done."

"We have heard great things about you, Perseus," the merman said. "The Lord of the Wild speaks quite highly of you."

Percy smiled at the mention of his friend Grover. "Thank you..."

"Reif."

"Thank you, Reif. I promise to return," Percy said. He turned to Neres. "Remember your promise."

Neres nodded. Reif bowed to Percy again. "Until next time, Son of Poseidon."

Percy nodded his head back at him before picking Thalia up and returning to the pier. Truly, the task had gone much better than he had expected. His dad had warned him that the merpeople might be less than pleased to welcome him, but if Neres was his only issue, Percy figured he had done a great job. Now he only needed to get Thalia out of the water. He swam as fast as he could, using the current to propel him. He reached the pier and used the water to lift them both out and onto the pier. Thalia coughed and sputtered, though she was completely dried. She looked up at Percy and glared.

"The things I do for you," she spat as she stood up.

"Have a good time, Thals?" Percy laughed. Thalia punched his arm.

"You'll pay for it later, Seaweed Brain."

Percy laughed again and turned to the stands. Everyone was staring at him in shock, awe, and not a little bit of fear. Percy's eyes scanned the crowd. He saw Harry and Ginny smiling brightly at him, though they too looked completely shocked by what they had seen. Hermione was still down in the lake, but Percy couldn't see Tracey or Daphne. He looked through the Slytherins but did not see either of them. He shrugged and turned to Thalia.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Go get your score or whatever. I'm going to go back to Artemis now."

Percy rolled his eyes but nodded. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Thalia smiled at him, her first smile since emerging from the water. "See ya, Kelp Head."

Percy watched her walk around behind the stands and turned to the judges. He walked over to Madam Pomfrey who was eyeing him uncertainly. She waved her wand to scan him, but when she found no injuries, she stepped away. Percy walked over to Bagman and Crouch who continued to stare at him with uncertainty. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled madly in the judges booth and he winked at Percy. Bagman hesitated before approaching Percy.

"Congrats on winning the second task," Bagman said slowly. Percy grinned.

"Thanks. It was a lot easier than I expected."

"What in Merlin's name are you?" cried out Karkaroff. Everyone stared at Percy waiting for his answer. Percy only grinned.

"Didn't you hear? I'm the Son of Poseidon."

 **A/N: Well damn...13k word chapter...hope you like it cause it took FOREVER to write. Next time on EoD, Percy deals with drama and angst, and later, Thalia finally gets to meet Percy's new friends.**

 **On a serious note, thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviews this story. You are all super super awesome!**

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Discord, just make sure to delete the parenthesis and the spaces. *no www*. Link is also on twitter: (discord).(gg) (/KFMtfBn)

 **(because I promised: shout out to Salty Ashley and thanks to distorted-me for all your help with this story)**

 **chapter currently unbeta'd**


	18. Chapter 18

"Quit shoving!"

"Move over, I'm sitting here!"

"Get your arm out of my face, Ron!"

"It's not in your face, Ginny!"

Harry rolled his eyes at his friends who tried to scramble through the stands to find a place. It was very early in the morning, the second task about to happen. Harry had come down as soon as he had finished breakfast to get a place to sit. It was a great seat, right in the front so he could see the task easily. He had saved seats for his friends, but the cramped space made them all rather grumpy.

"Where is Percy?" asked Ginny after she finally found her seat. She pushed Ron hard with her elbow to give herself some more room to breathe.

"He's down there," Harry pointed at the edge of the lake. "He's been there for a long time now. Where's Hermione?"

"McGonagall took her somewhere this morning," Ginny said.

"Maybe she's Krum's hostage?" Harry asked. Ron bristled but said nothing, his face bright red. Whether it was because of the cold or his anger, Harry wasn't entirely sure.

"Are the rest of the champions here yet?" asked Ginny.

Harry shook his head. "I don't think so-oh wait, there they are."

They watched the other three champions approach Bagman and Crouch. Percy then left his place by the lake and walked over to them. Harry watched his friend curiously. Percy looked relaxed. Too relaxed. Maybe it was the fact that he had control over water, but still, he had to be at least a little nervous about the task right? As Percy approached, however, the demigod stopped and put his hands over his chest. What was he doing? Harry tried to lean forward to see better, but he was behind the other champions from this angle. A moment later, though, Harry was pushed backwards by a powerful force pushing through his body. He gasped and clutched his chest. Gasps from all around him let him know that he wasn't the only one that had been impacted.

"What was that?"

"What just happened?"

"What in Merlin's name is going on?"

Questions and shouts erupted through the stands as people tried to figure out what had happened to them. Ginny looked around.

"What happened?" she asked.

Harry and Ron looked at her incredulously.

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" asked Ron. "Didn't you feel that?"

Ginny shook her head. "I didn't feel anything. You guys just gasped and everyone started freaking out."

"Bloody hell that was weird," Ron grumbled. "Why didn't you feel anything, Gin?"

"How am I supposed to know?" she retorted. Ron grumbled again.

"The judges are talking to Dumbledore," Harry said, pointing at them. "I don't think it was that big a deal. Dumbledore doesn't look worried about it."

"Hmm," Ginny said, pursing her lips. She wasn't so sure it wasn't a 'big deal.'

"Sonorous!" came Bagman's loud, magically enchanted voice. The crowd hushed to listen. "Terrific! Sonorous! Ladies and Gentlemen! Today is our second task in which our four champions must recover a hostage that was chosen specifically for each one. These hostages are the people that mean the most to our champions. For Fleur Delacour, her hostage is her sister, Gabrielle." Harry noticed that the French champion grew visibly angry. "For Cedric Diggory, his hostage is Cho Chang. For Viktor Krum, his hostage is Hermione Granger. For Percy Jackson, his hostage is Thalia Grace."

"Thalia," said Ginny slowly. "Isn't that Percy's cousin?"

Harry nodded. "He told me that he was pretty sure they'd chose Thalia to be his hostage since she's his closest family."

"Does Daphne know about her?" Ginny asked.

Harry cocked his head. "No...? Does that matter?"

Ginny sighed. "Yes, it matters, you prat."

They turned to look at the Slytherin section. They caught sight of Daphne and Tracey leaving the stands and heading back to the castle. Ginny flinched. "I feel bad for Percy. That won't be a fun conversation."

"Why?" Ron asked. "What happened?"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Idiot boys."

Bagman's voice broke through their conversation. "Yes, yes this is very exciting! The champions will have one hour to find their hostages in the lake and bring them back! Champions, please ready yourselves."

Ginny and many of the women in attendance whistled appreciatively when Krum and Cedric removed their shirts. Both boys were rather attractive. Then Fleur removed her clothes to reveal her swimsuit. Ron practically drooled and many others were no better. Even Harry, who hadn't ever really felt her allure, was drawn to the attractive Veela. Ginny smacked them both on the back of their heads. "Behave!"

They turned back to look at the champions. Everyone looked at Percy, many of the ladies leaned forward, hoping to see what the exotic looking American was hiding underneath his shirt. They were all disappointed.

"You are not changing?" asked Bagman. Percy shook his head. Bagman coughed, "Well, alright then. Spectators, please turn your attention to the large screen to your left. The champions will be shown there as they complete their task. Champions! On my mark!" He fired a burst of red sparks in the air and the second task of the TriWizard Tournament was underway.

As the champions dove into the water, Bagman directed everyone's attention to a large projector screen to the side. It was very similar to the one used in the DADA classroom, though it was made even bigger so everyone could see. The screen was separated into four corners, each champion showing up in their own box. Cedric and Fleur both had bubbles around their heads, and Krum had transfigured his upper body into that of a shark. Harry shivered. He was glad not to have to compete in this task as he could not swim well at all. He looked at Percy's box and found him just swimming in the water.

"Does he have gills?" came the questions.

"Is he breathing underwater?"

"How is this possible?"

Harry and his friends shared a look. They knew Percy had control over water, but he had never said anything about being able to breath underwater. They looked back at the screen in time to see a pack of grindylows appear and attack. Everyone in the stands shrieked, but Percy was prepared. From out of nowhere, a sword appeared in his hand and he used it to slash and hack at the monsters. Harry's eyes were wide. He had never actually seen the sword before. Then, as the grindylows made to attack again, Percy froze them in ice with his bare hands. The crowd was deathly silent for a moment before it erupted in murmurs and conversations.

"Did he just freeze them?"

"Was that wandless magic?"

"How powerful is he?"

"Merlin he's hot!"

Harry snorted at the conversations he overheard. They watched as Percy went further into the lake. A minute later, Fleur came across the same spot just as the ice around the grindylows cracked. Fleur swam past just as the monsters broke through the ice. They attacked the poor, unsuspecting Veela. She panicked and tried to fire curse after curse at them, but there were too many. She fired off red sparks, and the crowd watched as tournament attendants rushed forward to ward off the grindylows and rescue her. They pulled Fleur out of the lake and took her to Madame Pomfrey who immediately went to work healing her wounds and warming her up. Harry again was happy to not be in her position.

"Look!"

Harry looked back at the screen. Percy had arrived at the mervillage. Everyone gasped when they saw the hostages tied to ground, each one in a froze state. Harry, Ron, and Ginny grew furious at the sight of Hermione tied up like that. The cries of outrage were silenced when they saw the merpeople approach Percy. Everyone watched with bated breath as the leader swam up to Percy, spear in hand.

"My prince," the merman whispered, though it was loud enough for everyone to hear. Murmurs spread through the stands. Percy a prince? More than one scoff came from the Slytherins. They watched as the merpeople began to bow before him, then as translucent women came from all around and bowed as well.

"Those are nymphs!" shouted someone from the stands. The crowd murmured even more. Who was this Percy Jackson that even the merpeople and nymphs bowed to him?

"Please stand, I do not want you to bow to me," said Percy. Harry couldn't help but chuckle. That was definitely Percy.

"You do not understand," said the leader of the merpeople. "We have waited centuries for one of the sea to come, and now you are here! You are our prince!"

Someone from Slytherin shouted, "Yeah right!"

He were instantly silenced by people shouting at him to shut up and listen.

Percy shook his head. "Just call me Percy, please. Not prince. Just Percy."

The merman nodded adamantly. "Anything, Prince Percy."

Percy groaned. "Look, I appreciate...all of this...but I'm here for my hostage."

The merman nodded and pointed to the center of the village where each hostage was tied down. "They are alive! They are simply in stasis until they emerge from the water."

"Thank you," Percy said. He walked, _walked_ on the floor of the lake towards the hostages and cut through the rope holding Thalia down with Riptide.

"Please return to us, Prince Percy," said the merman. "At least to speak with us."

"I'd like that."

Just as Percy turned, another merman blocked his path. People watched, no one breathing. What in Merlin's name was happening?

"Neres!" the lead merman cried out. "Step away from them!"

"I want to know just who this human thinks he is," Neres sneered. "We have waited centuries for our lord to arrive and this one just shows up one day, asks for a hostage, and leaves? He is not our lord. He is simply using his magic to trick us all. I for one will not have it!"

The Slytherins sneered and laughed. Draco shouted over his housemates, "Give him what he deserves!"

Harry glared at his nemesis.

"What say you, human?" Neres said. "Prove yourself as our lord."

"Or what?"

"Or I do as I was asked by your tournament heads and kill you."

"The tournament heads told you to kill me?" Percy asked. Everyone in the crowds, even the judges, glared at Bagman and Crouch. They lowered their heads in shame. Harry felt sick at the sight of them. Who would ever ask others to kill children in a tournament?

"I am to do everything in my power to prevent you from completing your task," Neres said. "Since you already have your hostage, I am left with no other choice. What say you?"

Percy laid Thalia down on a bed of seaweed and took a step back from Neres. "I am nobody's lord, but I won't let you stop me from saving her."

"Then you will die," Neres said, and he rushed forward, spear in hand. People shrieked.

"Someone do something! He'll die!"

"Let him die, I say," Draco's voice carried. People glared at the blonde ponce who had the decency to look slightly embarrassed that everyone had heard him. Harry ignored everyone, his focus was entirely on Percy who grabbed the merman's spear in both hands, catching him off guard and throwing him backwards. With room to move, Percy grabbed his leather band and pulled out his trident. The crowd stared at Percy in a mixture of fear and awe. People began whispering. Tridents were ancient weapons that were no longer used by anyone. Where had Percy gotten one? And why was it glowing?

What happened next, made everyone pause, even the Slytherins. Percy's eyes began to glow a brilliant green, and he lifted off the lake bed and floated upwards. His short hair flowed in the water and his clothes rippled. The merman that had challenged him cowered below him.

"I do not want to kill you," Percy said. Harry rolled his eyes but smiled. "Let me save her and allow the other champions to save their hostages, and I will forgive you."

Neres nodded his head quickly. "Yes, milord, yes I beg your forgiveness, milord."

Percy rolled his eyes and returned his trident to his wrist and dropped down to the lake bed. The lead merman approached them.

"My lord, I apologize for Neres. He will be punished for this slight against you."

"No worries," Percy said. "I kinda understand where he was coming from. No harm was done." People began to whisper again. Percy was just going to forgive him like that?

"We have heard great things about you, Perseus," the merman said. "The Lord of the Wild speaks quite highly of you."

"Lord of the Wild?" someone asked. Again the crowd erupted in whispers. What was the merman talking about?

Percy smiled. "Thank you..."

"Reif."

"Thank you, Reif. I promise to return," Percy said. He turned to Neres. "Remember your promise."

Neres nodded. Reif bowed to Percy again. "Until next time, Son of Poseidon."

The cries that came from the stands reverberated across the lake.

"What in Merlin's name is he talking about?"

"What is a 'Poseidon'?"

"What the hell is going on?"

Normally the professors would have reprimanded their students for cursing, but they were all equally stunned. Harry and his friends shared a look. Did Percy intend for everyone to find out? What was he thinking?

They watched, eyes wide, as Percy returned to the pier and blasted through the water and onto dry ground again. It was the first time Harry actually saw Percy's cousin, Thalia. She had crazy, black hair that was surprisingly dry. Harry had to remind himself that Percy could keep from getting soaked. Percy looked at the tournament heads. He made eye contact with Harry and Ginny and they smiled brilliantly at him. Thalia hugged Percy and they said something to each other before she walked around behind the stands and disappeared.

Percy walked over to the heads and Pomfrey rushed forward to see if he was injured. Harry watched as she waved her wand around before stepping back, Percy obviously uninjured. Bagman then stepped forward.

"Congrats on winning the second task," he said slowly. Percy grinned.

"Thanks. It was a lot easier than I expected."

"What in Merlin's name are you?" cried out Karkaroff. Everyone stared at Percy waiting for his answer. Percy only grinned.

"Didn't you hear? I'm the Son of Poseidon."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Karkaroff. "What is a 'Poseidon'?"

Percy rolled his eyes and looked around. People were watching him with a mix of fear and confusion. "Seriously? No one knows who Poseidon is?"

"He is the Greek god of the sea," Dumbledore offered. Madame Maxime scoffed.

"You honestly expect us to believe zat you are the son of a god?" she asked. Everyone stared at Percy.

Percy shrugged. "You don't have to believe it. Doesn't make it false." He looked around. "Can I go or do I have to stay for the others to get back?"

"You must remain for your score," Dumbledore said, his eye twinkling madly with amusement. Percy grinned at the professor before going over to the edge of the pier and sitting down, his feet dangling into the water. The stands roared, some in anger and some in confusion. People hurled insults and questions at Percy, but he just ignored them all, a smile on his face. He had planted a seed in their minds. They knew he was different now. That gave him room to be himself. He wouldn't have to hide behind magic anymore. Still, it wasn't the reaction he had expected. That made him pause. What _had_ he expected their reaction to be? The more he thought about it, the more he figured that Karkaroff's reaction was probably what everyone else was thinking. He would have to be careful. From what he knew of the magical world, many believed themselves superior because of their magic. Percy claiming to be the son of a god would certainly make many hate him.

The crowd continued to shout at Percy, but he paid them no mind. Eventually, Cedric returned, just a minute after the hour time allotment. He and his hostage, Cho, gasped as they hit the surface. Percy helped pull them out of the water and walked them over to Madam Pomfrey. As she waved her wand over them, Percy waved his hand. They were immediately dried. The people in the stands that saw it stopped their murmurs and eyed him in no small amount of amazement. _They probably think it's all wandless magic_ , Percy thought. If it was all wandless magic what did that make him? A lunatic for claiming to be the son of a god? He figured some might accuse him of being a dark wizard. That thought made him laugh.

The crowd shifted their attention back to the lake a few moments later when Krum appeared with Hermione. Percy helped them out and dried them as well. Hermione hugged both of them. Krum nodded at Percy and walked Hermione over to Madame Pomfrey.

"Now that all the champions have returned," Bagman said, "the judges will start their deliberations."

Percy looked around. Where was Fleur and her sister? He looked over at Madame Pomfrey and noticed a small bundle in a blanket in the corner. He realized that it was Fleur, shivering in cold. He felt his hairs stand up on end as he approached her, but he pushed through it. He waved his hand and dried her better than any spell. Fleur gasped in relief and looked up at him.

"Thank you," she whispered. Percy just nodded and walked over to Madame Pomfrey.

"Where is Fleur's hostage?" he asked. Pomfrey looked around.

"She couldn't save her," Pomfrey said. "I believe the tournament attendants are recovering her right now."

Percy looked out at the lake and noticed a small boat approaching the mervillage. A moment later, a small girl was lifted out of the water and into the boat which turned and approached the pier. Fleur leapt from her seat and waited impatiently. When the boat docked, the girl flung into Fleur's arms. Fleur kissed the little girl's head all over.

"Gabrielle! _Tu es en sécurité! Dieu merci, vous êtes en sécurité!"_

The sisters hugged each other tightly, until Pomfrey approached them. She waved her wand over Gabrielle to make sure she was okay. Percy waved his hand again, and Gabrielle was dried. The little girl gasped and hugged her sister tightly. Fleur made eye contact with Percy and smiled brightly.

"Merci," she mouthed. Percy gave a small smile and nodded in return.

"The judges have decided!" came Bagman's voice. The champions all turned to look at them. "Fleur, though using a strong bubble-head charm, failed to rescue her hostage, so we award her 25 points." Fleur hugged her sister tightly, not caring about her score. The crowd clapped politely for her.

Bagman looked at Percy and hesitated. "Percy, used some unknown form of magic and transfigured a sword and trident to ward off merpeople and grindylows. He also returned with his hostage well within the time limit. We award him 48 points." Gryffindor cheered madly, though the rest of the stands gave hesitant claps.

Percy rolled his eyes. At least it was better than what he had gotten for the first task. Transfiguring a sword? Gods, they really were blind.

"Cedric also used a bubble-head charm and returned with his hostage just a minute outside the time allotted. We award him 47 points." Hufflepuff erupted in cheers for their champion. The rest of the stands, Slytherins included, cheered as well.

"And finally, Viktor used an excellent bit of human transfiguration, though he returned well out of the time allotted. We award him 40 points!" Viktor received much applause as well. Bagman nodded. "That means Cedric Diggory is still in 1st place with 85 points, with Percy Jackson in 2nd, and Viktor Krum in 3rd by just 1 point. Fleur Delacour is in 4th with 62 points. The next task will be at the end of June! Have a good day everyone!"

Percy turned and began to leave the area, eager to get away from the crowd and the questions, when he saw Chiron sitting off to the side, away from the crowds. Percy approached his mentor who was shaking his head.

"You never do anything in halves do you, Percy?" Chiron asked. Percy grinned.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I just told the truth."

"You know this is only going to cause problems for you don't you?"

Percy shrugged. "The gods told me to do this. It was their plan to remove the mist from everyone here and for me to reveal my true nature."

Chiron sighed. "Just be careful. These people think themselves better than everyone else. They won't take kindly to someone becoming _their_ superior."

"I know," Percy said. "I'll be okay. I honestly don't think any of them even care about the whole 'Son of Poseidon' thing. Didn't you hear them? Everyone thinks that I'm using wandless magic."

"I don't know if that's better or worse."

"What do you mean?"

"Wandless magic is apparently very difficult," Chiron said. "Only the most powerful magic people can do it."

"So either way, they are going to be angry that I'm so powerful?"

Chiron nodded. Percy rolled his eyes and shrugged.

"Oh well. What's the worst they could do? Hex me?"

"Just be careful, Percy," Chiron said.

"I will," Percy nodded just as Harry and the others reached him. Percy turned to his friends when Harry and Ginny launched into his chest, pulling him into a hug. Percy felt all the air leave his lungs.

"You prat!" Ginny said, pulling back and leaving room for Hermione to step in and hug him. "Did you really mean to tell everyone who you are?"

"They don't believe me," Percy said, hugging Hermione. "They all think I'm using wandless magic. Apparently, I transfigured my sword and trident."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Still, that would make you a powerful wizard, Percy."

"That's what I told him," Chiron said. He looked around. "What happened to Thalia?"

"She wanted to get going," Percy said. "I know Artemis was very reluctant to even let her be part of the task to begin with."

"You did very well," said Chiron. "I'm proud of you."

"You were brilliant!" Harry said. "Too bad you didn't get the full 50 points though. You should have. I can't believe that all of that happened."

"The merpeople called you their prince," Ginny said. "How exactly did that happen?"

Percy shrugged then showed them his ring. "I am the Prince of Atlantis. I'm sure they could tell just from my being in the water who I was." His stomach growled audibly making his friends snicker. "How about we go get some lunch, huh?"

They waved goodbye to Chiron who left Hagrid's hut and headed up to the castle. The other students were a good ways ahead of them, so they did not have to deal with any stares or confrontations. Percy told them about Atlantis as they walked. Hermione was completely enthralled until something clicked in Harry's mind.

"...and then there is the throne room which is covered in-"

"You were a hostage!" said Harry, looking at Hermione. They all stopped and stared at him. Harry blushed but kept going. "You were Krum's hostage. The thing he would miss most."

Percy looked at Hermione. "That's right! My my, Miss Granger, what exactly is going on between you and Mr. Krum?"

Hermione blushed and smacked Percy on the arm. "Prat! That is none of your business."

"Sure," Ginny drawled. "Just how many broom closets have you been in?"

"Gah!" Hermione growled and stormed off towards the castle. "Prats the lot of you!"

They shared a grin and chased after Hermione. They apologized profusely to the bushy-haired girl, but she refused to accept them until Ginny whispered in her ear that she had information on Harry and Tracey. Percy turned and raised an eyebrow at his little brother who in turn blushed bright crimson and rushed into the Great Hall. Percy laughed and headed down to the kitchen. His plate was all ready for him, and he quickly sacrificed part of his steak to Poseidon, thanking his father for his good fortune in the task. He hesitated before sacrificing a small portion to Apollo as well, for showing him how to disperse the mist. He didn't take much time on Apollo's sacrifice, not wanting to overinflate the god's already massive ego.

Percy returned to the Great Hall and went over to his normal seat. Many were openly staring at him, but he ignored them all. Didn't they have anything better to do? Percy began to eat and then looked up towards the Slytherin table. Daphne and Tracey were in their normal seats, but Daphne looked visibly upset, and Tracey kept shooting him glares. Percy turned to Ginny who sat beside him.

"What is wrong with Daph and Tracey?" he asked.

"Did you ever tell them that Thalia was your cousin?" Ginny asked. Percy shook his head.

"No, why would that matter?"

Ginny huffed. "You're all clueless."

"What?" Percy asked confused. "What did I do?"

"You didn't tell Daphne that Thalia was your cousin!""So what?"" _So_ , Thalia was your hostage! She's the one you'd miss most. Can you imagine just how upset Daphne must be that the person you miss most is a girl she's never heard about?" Ginny glared at him. Harry and Percy both gave collective 'ooh's.

"You're a prat, Percy," Harry said. Percy flung a grape at him.

"Shut it, you didn't know either."

"True, but I'm not the one that screwed up," Harry grinned. Percy glared at him before turning to the Slytherin table.

"I need to tell her."

"Yes you do," Ginny nodded. "But just wait for now. She's bound to be too angry with you to listen right now."

Percy just shook his head. "I will never understand girls."

Ginny patted his shoulder, and Hermione snorted.

"Of course not," Ginny laughed. "Where would the fun be if you understood us?"

Percy grumbled and finished his lunch. The second task was over. He had removed the mist from the people at Hogwarts, revealed himself to be the son of Poseidon, he was apparently the prince of the merpeople here, and yet the only thing that he could think about was that he had royally screwed things up with Daphne. His head dropped and hit the table. His friends jumped in shock.

"Percy are you okay?" Hermione asked nervously. Percy just mumbled into the table. "What was that?"

"I hate drama!" he growled. Hermione and Ginny rolled their eyes while Harry snickered. Percy may be a demigod, but he was still a teenager. Percy wasn't entirely sure which part he hated more-they both sucked.

February ended and March came and still Daphne refused to talk to Percy. Harry tried to talk to Tracey about getting Daphne to talk to Percy, but Tracey only huffed and said Daphne was being stubborn. What made it more difficult was that Percy had started taking classes with the fourth years. Whenever Percy would look over at her, she would actively avoid making eye contact. If Percy had cared about school to begin with, his grades would have plummeted. As it was, they remained the exact same. Some of his papers received Ts. That made him snort with amusement.

The stress of dealing with everything though, was starting to affect Percy's focus when it came to his training. Chiron berated him until finally Percy had enough and decided that he needed to get this over with with Daphne. He thought about the best way to do so, and then the perfect plan came to mind. He ran to the Gryffindor common room and found Harry sitting by the fire with Ron playing chess.

"Harry!" Percy said, rushing over and grabbing Harry by the scuff of his robes. Harry shrieked in surprise, knocking over some of the pieces. Ron cried out in anger and shock, but Percy waved him off. "I need to talk to Harry, okay bye!"

When the were outside the common room, Harry shoved Percy away. "What do you want, you prat?"

"I need you to go talk to Tracey," he said. "I have a plan to get Daphne to talk to me again."

"I've already tried," Harry said. "Tracey said Daphne is being too stubborn."

"I know that," Percy said. He leaned forward and told Harry his plan. Harry's eyes widened and he nodded.

"You really think this will work?"

"I'm positive," Percy nodded. "It has to work."

"You really like Daphne don't you?"

Percy shrugged. "I don't know about 'really like' her, but I don't want to miss out on something great because of something silly." That made him pause. Was not being with Daphne really missing out on something great? He shook his head. How much had he changed since the summer...since Christmas. He knew that the change in his intention with Daphne had changed thanks to Silena, but he didn't care. He wanted to know what it would be like to have someone to love and care for.

"Well, I'll let Tracey know then," Harry said. "Is that it? Cause Ron and I were in the middle of a game."

"Yeah that was it," Percy pushed Harry towards the common room. "Go finish that game and lose. It's almost dinner." Harry glared at Percy but laughed and went back into the common room. Percy smiled. Hopefully Daphne would start talking to him again. Really, this plan benefited everyone. It was a win win. That is, if Tracey managed to fulfill her part of the plan.

The next weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend, and Percy's plan was going off without a hitch. Sirius had sent Harry a letter saying that he wanted to speak with everyone. They planned to spend the morning shopping, meetup for lunch at the Three Broomsticks, and then head to the location Sirius told them. Percy hadn't seen Tracey or Daphne at all at Hogsmeade all morning, but he hoped that they were there. His plan depended on them showing up to the meeting with Sirius.

"Percy!"

He was brought out of his musings by Hermione's loud voice. He looked at her. "Huh?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "So eloquent. I asked if you knew what you wanted to eat."

"Oh," Percy said, a light blush on his cheeks. "I'll have a sandwich and one of those beer things."

"Butterbeer?" asked Harry. Percy nodded.

"Yeah that."

Hermione nodded and went up to the counter to order as it was a busy day and Rosmerta, the owner of the place, hadn't gotten around to their table yet. Harry and Ron started talking about Quidditch, and Percy just leaned back in his chair. Ron had started spending more time with Harry. Percy was still not too fond with Ron after the way he had behaved, but Harry enjoyed having his old friend around, and so Percy said nothing. He looked around the Three Broomsticks. There were students from every house there. Percy noted that there were only a few Slytherins though, and they all looked to be third years only. Either the Slytherins were too good for this place, or they knew of an even better place to go. Percy wasn't sure which one was more plausible. Probably both.

Rosmerta came by a few minutes later with their food and drinks. Percy hesitated before taking a sip of butterbeer. It was good, but not nearly as good as ambrosia. Of course, Percy doubted anything would ever taste as good as the godly drink. The thought of it sent pangs of pain through Percy's heart. Ambrosia tasted like his mom's blue chocolate chip cookies. He missed his mom. Percy shook his head and tried to take his mind off of that, listening in to his friends' conversations. Ginny shot him a concerned look, but he gave her a smile in return. She looked doubtful but returned to criticizing Ron for liking the Chudley Cannons.

"It's 2 o'clock," Hermione said when they finished eating. "We should get going. Everyone will be going back to their shopping so it's the best time."

They all got up, leaving money on the table for Rosmerta, and headed out into the chilly air. Sirius had informed them of a cave he had found a little ways away from Hogsmeade. It required a small trek into the forest, but on this side of the woods, there weren't many dangers. Still, Percy kept his hand in his pocket just to be sure. When they reached the entrance to the cave, Sirius stood up and grinned brightly at them.

"Sirius!" Harry shouted, rushing forward and wrapping the man in a tight hug. Sirius laughed and rustled Harry's hair.

"I'm so glad to see you, pup," Sirius smiled. He looked at the others. "And you all as well. What all has happened? I want to hear it all, starting with the World Cup."

Percy glanced at them. The World Cup? The World Cup didn't happen this year. Sirius led them into the cave where he had a fire going. They all sat around, enjoying the warmth.

"So, the World Cup?" Sirius asked.

"Well, after the game," Harry said, "we went back to our tent when we heard lots of explosions. We just thought that the Irish were celebrating, but then Mr. Weasley ran in and told us we needed to get out of there."

"Wait," Percy said, "what World Cup are you talking about?"

"Quidditch," Ron said, as though it was the most obvious thing in the world. Percy nodded.

"Ah, okay, sorry. Go on."

Harry rolled his eyes with amusement before continuing. "Well we started running behind Mr. Weasley and the others, but we got separated."

Ron blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I sort of tripped on a tree."

Sirius snorted.

"There was a lot of screaming and shouting," Harry said, "so we went and tried to find a place to hide, but I lost my wand. We heard someone say some sort of spell and there was a giant skull with a snake in its mouth in the sky, and then we found Crouch's house elf, Winky. She was acting weird, and then a bunch of people including Crouch and Mr. Weasley showed up. Crouch tried to accuse me of casting that spell, but then they found that Winky had my wand, and that it had been used to cast the spell. Crouch fired Winky, and then we went back with Mr. Weasley."

"That...I can't believe that all happened, honestly," Sirius said. "I never thought I would see that mark again until it was in the papers. I'm glad you were all safe. I can't say I'm surprised that Crouch tried to blame you, though."

"Why's that?" asked Ginny.

"Because he was the one that sent me to Azkaban without a trial," Sirius said, spitting on the ground. "He used to be the head of the DMLE and was going to be Minister until they found that his son was a Death Eater."

"His son?" Hermione said incredulously. "Barty Crouch's son was a Death Eater?"

"Aye," Sirius nodded. "Barty Crouch Jr. He died in Azkaban a few years ago, though."

"I found Crouch's name looking around Snape's office a few days ago," said Harry. "I was looking at the map when I saw it."

Sirius scratched his chin. "That is...strange."

"Snape is a slimy git," Ron said. "I'm not surprised that the Ministry is investigating him."

"He's a professor, Ronald," Hermione countered. "If Dumbledore trusts him, we need to trust him too."

"I don't know," Sirius said slowly. "Snape was always interested in the Dark Arts growing up. I think it's okay not to trust him. Just be careful, alright?"

They nodded, though Ron and Hermione kept shooting each other glares.

"I've seen Moody around Snape's office," offered Percy. They looked at him. "It was a week ago or so. I saw Moody going through Snape's supplies when I was on my way to look for Snape."

"Why would you go looking for him?" asked Ron, completely confused.

"Snape and I have a mutual connection," Percy said. They all matched Ron's look of confusion.

Harry gaped at him. "You have a connection?"Percy nodded. "We have the same cousin, Nico di Angelo."

"Wait, Nico? The guy you talk about all the time?" asked Harry. "Snape is related to him too?"

Percy nodded again. "Found out my first day here at Hogwarts."

"Why didn't you say anything?" asked Ginny.

"Didn't seem important," Percy shrugged. "Snape's not a horrible person. He's not nice or friendly, but he's not horrible."

Ron grumbled, not convinced. Hermione just gave him a look of triumph. Before they could erupt in another argument, Percy heard a rustle by the cave entrance. He grinned and stood up, as the others looked confused. Sirius opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when a spiky, black haired girl in a silver jacket stepped into the cave.

"Hiding out in a cave? Phoebe always knew you were going to turn into an animal," she teased. Percy rolled his eyes and punched her in the shoulder good naturedly. She looked at the others, who all froze at her piercing gaze. "Are you going to introduce us, Kelp Head?"

Percy shook his head, chuckling, and nodded towards his friends. "Guys, this is my cousin, Thalia Grace."

His friends' eyes widened, and Harry, Hermione, and Ginny all stood up and walked over.

"Hi, I'm Harry," Harry said, holding his hand out. Thalia eyed it for a moment before shaking it slowly.

"Nice to meet ya, Harry," Thalia said. "You must be the one, Perce talks about."

"I'm Hermione," said the bushy haired girl. "Percy has talked a lot about you."

Thalia smiled at her before glaring at Percy. "Is that so?"

"All good things," Percy defended himself.

"I'm sorry you two are related," Ginny laughed. "I'm Ginny."

Thalia grinned and nodded at Ginny. "I'm sorry sometimes too."

"Hey!"

They all snickered. Thalia looked over at Ron. "Who are you?"

Ron blushed and stood up. "I'm Ron."

"Nice to meet you all," Thalia nodded. Sirius stood up and walked over. "You must be Sirius Black."

Sirius bowed his head. "Pleasure, ma'am."

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Don't call me 'ma'am.' So what are you guys doing in a cave?"

"I'm not exactly able to go out and about," Sirius said slowly.

"He's wanted by the Ministry," Harry said bitterly. Percy motioned for them to all sit down, and Thalia took a seat beside Percy. "He was thrown in prison without a trial, and escaped when he found the real criminal in a photograph."

"Why haven't they caught the real criminal?" Thalia asked.

"Because everyone believes he is dead," Sirius said. "His name is Peter Pettigrew. He's a rat animagus and managed to con everyone into believing that he was the victim, and that I killed him."

"What's an animagus?" Thalia asked.

"He can turn into an animal," Percy said. Sirius grinned and turned into Padfoot. Thalia's eyes widened before she grinned.

"That's pretty awesome. Can you turn into any animal?"

Sirius turned back. "No, just a dog. It takes a lot of time and effort to be able to do that, so most people just don't bother with it."

"Why did you then?" Thalia asked.

"Because we had a friend in school who really needed the help," Sirius explained, being purposefully vague. Thalia nodded, but seemed a bit unsure if that was the truth.

"So this Peter person can turn into a rat?" she asked. Sirius and Harry nodded. "Why not just place rat traps everywhere and use your little magic stuff to make them invisible? You can do that right?"

Sirius and Harry blanched. Sirius scratched the back of his head in embarassment. "We...well, we never actually thought about doing that. Rat traps being muggle contraptions and all."

"'Muggle?'" mouthed Thalia at Percy. Percy chuckled.

"It means people that can't use magic."

Thalia nodded. "Gotcha. Well, just use the rat traps and hide them. If that guy ever shows up you'll have caught him."

"But he could just transform back into human form," Sirius countered.

"Not if we put a powerful sticking charm as well as a body-binding curse," Hermione said, smiling at the thought. "Honestly, I can't believe we never thought of that. That's amazing, Thalia."

"Well, I _am_ a hunter," Thalia grinned. "That's kinda what I do."

Sirius looked at her. "What do you mean hunter? Like you use those gun things and shoot deer?"

Thalia shook her head. "Bow and arrow and hunting knives. I'm the lieutenant of Artemis' hunters."

"Is that supposed to mean something?" Sirius asked confused. Thalia turned to Percy.

"You haven't told them?"

"Sirius is the only one that doesn't know," Percy said. Sirius looked at him.

"What don't I know?"

"Percy and Thalia are demigods," Harry said excitedly. Percy pursed his lips.

"Way to spoil that surprise, Harry."

Harry blushed but turned back to Sirius who was looking at Percy and Thalia suspiciously. "They really are demigods. Dumbledore brought Percy here specifically because of that."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "Demigod? Like, child of one of the gods?" Percy nodded. "You're telling me that God is real?"

"Well, I don't know about the Jewish God," said Thalia, "but the Greek gods, Egyptian gods, and Norse gods are all real."

Sirius leaned back in his seat. "So what are you supposed to be."

Percy and Thalia shared a look before they both closed their eyes and let their power surround them. Water poured out from Percy's ring and wrapped around him, swirling as though a vortex. Lightning cackled and sparked around Thalia's hands, the sheer energy coming from her electrifying the air. When they opened their eyes, both pairs were glowing. Sirius' eyes nearly bugged out of his head.

"Sweet Morgana's tits," he whispered. "Remus was right."

Percy and Thalia calmed their powers and took deep breaths as Harry and the others looked at Sirius confused.

"What did Remus say?" asked Harry.

"Remus has always said that the gods were real," Sirius said. "James and I never believed him; we always thought he was just a loon about that. But this might just prove that he was telling the truth."

"I met Remus," Percy nodded. "He was the one that led me to you, Sirius."

"This is just so..." Sirius trailed off.

"Crazy?" offered Harry.

"Amazing?" offered Hermione.

"All of that," Sirius nodded. "I just can't believe that-" he stopped. His hand went to his waist, and he grabbed his wand. "Someone is coming."

Percy turned and looked at the entrance to the cave. He grinned. "Don't worry, it's just Tracey and Daphne."

Sirius didn't put his wand away, but he didn't look ready to attack either. Tracey and Daphne entered into the cave, and the moment that Daphne saw Percy, she tried to turn around, but Tracey held her firmly. Percy walked over to them slowly.

"Daphne," he said. "I am really sorry about not telling you."

"About not telling me what?" Daphne said bitterly. "That there was someone else already? That there is a girl that you would miss the most in the world?"

Percy shook his head. "For not telling you the entire truth." He moved to the side and motioned towards Thalia who stood up. "Daphne, meet Thalia Grace. My cousin."

Daphne and Tracey's eyes bugged. Daphne looked from Thalia to Percy and back again twice. "Your _cousin_?"

"Yep," Thalia grinned. "I'm Seaweed Brain's cousin. I'm guessing he never told you about me?"

Daphne shook her head, speechless. Thalia rolled her eyes and smacked Percy on the back of the head hard. Percy winced.

"Agh! What was that for?"

"You're an idiot," Thalia said.

Daphne gave a small smile, already starting to like Thalia despite the fact that up until that very moment, she had been so unbelievably furious and jealous of the girl she had never met.

"I'm not an idiot," Percy murmured, nurturing his injured head. "I'm just clueless. There is a difference. Just ask Harry. He's both."

"Oi!"

"I'm sorry for not telling you about my cousin," Percy said to Daphne. "I really do hope you can forgive me. I've missed you."

Daphne and Tracey gave each other a look, and then Daphne looked back at Percy. "I'll forgive you...but you owe me big."

Percy grinned. "I can live with that."

"Before you two love birds starting snogging right here," Tracey said with mock disgust. "Can we figure out why on earth we are in this cave?"

"We're talking to Sirius," Harry said with a wide smile. The Slytherin girls' eyes widened in terror.

"Sirius Black?" Tracey asked.

Sirius took that moment to stand up and reveal himself. "Hello, ladies," he said with a cheeky grin.

Daphne and Tracey let out an ear-piercing scream.

 **A/N: Well, I definitely didn't mean to take this long before getting chapter 18 done, but here it is. A bit of a filler chapter so pretty boring (a big reason why it took so long to write). Next chapter I am moving quickly to the third task.** **Also, I should also say that a reason I haven't gotten this chapter published sooner is because I have been spending a lot of time the last two weeks working on my own personal writing. I am a short story writer, and I am now trying to write my own novel. You can imagine how time consuming it is to write a 100k fanfic and my own work at the same time. Balancing the two isn't exactly easy. You might be curious as to what exactly I am writing, and actually, you have a chance to look at my original works.**

 **I have created a (Pat) (reon) *fanfiction apparently deletes that word* page where you can help support me in my work. Two things.**

 **1) I have always been of the mindset that telling people to donate otherwise you won't write anymore is scummy, and so I am not doing that. I will still continue to write even if no one donates [donating will just help me out a bit, I'm sure you can understand ;) ]**

 **2) If you would like to donate (bless you), there are some great rewards from getting access to my original works to actually getting to help me world build for my novels and future fanfic stories if I ever do another. Please don't feel obligated to donate for fear that if you don't I won't update EoD anymore. I'll still write this story because I enjoy it. BUT, any little bit of support is a tremendous help, so maybe consider it?** ** _Just search for Jaz Meeks on (Pat) reon)'s website and look for the grey bear with white eyes._**

 **As always, a huge thank you to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. I love you all. Till next time!**


	19. Chapter 19

The weeks after the Hogsmeade visit went by fast and were quite exhausting. The only real piece of news was that Barty Crouch had gone missing, but many just assumed he was home sick. Percy thought that was odd considering they had all sorts of potions in the magical world. He didn't have much time to focus on it though, as professors began cramming more and more homework assignments and little exams as there were no final exams to be had. If Percy cared about school he would probably have been even more stressed out. As it was, watching his friends study was stressful enough. Percy just couldn't wrap his mind around how people could sit and read for so long. Daphne had tried to explain it to him, but when Hermione had explained to her that Percy had dyslexia-as well as an explanation as to what dyslexia was-Daphne seemed completely baffled and did not know how to continue the conversation. Percy just laughed, knowing from Hermione that dyslexia was not common at all within the magical community which was quite interesting considering their lineage and connection to the gods.

Draco had become increasingly annoying which was saying a lot considering who he was. He was also beginning to suspect Daphne and Tracey of something, though he wasn't sure of what. Draco and his goons-Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy-had taken to following the two girls and watching their every step. Draco was rather peeved that all the girls did over break was stay in their rooms, eat, and occasionally walk around the lake. He was so sure that they were doing something horrible. If only he could catch them in the act.

Easter came and passed and despite the short break from school, Hermione forced Harry and Ron to continue studying. Daphne and Tracey escaped only by feigning sickness and only leaving their common room for meals or to walk around the lake when they knew Hermione was in the library. Tracey and Harry hadn't gotten much time together with all their school work, but they exchanged many 'anonymous' letters. Percy and Daphne hadn't spent any time alone together since Hogsmeade, but they had overcome their little relationship hitch and were enjoying each other's company the few moments they were together. It was amazing that no one had caught the two Slytherin's with their Gryffindor friends. Particularly Daphne and Tracey's housemates.

In late May, Percy received a letter that he was to go down to the Quidditch pitch to discuss the third task of the tournament. As soon as he finished eating dinner, Percy got up and left the Great Hall, heading out onto the grounds.

"Percy!"

Percy turned around, his hair on end. Fleur and Krum were approaching him with Cedric not too far behind.

"You rushed off before we could join you," said Fleur, brushing hair out of her face. "We zot zat we could walk togezzer."

"Sure," Percy shrugged, though he moved to walk beside Krum and Cedric who had finally caught up. "What do you guys think the next task will be?"

Fleur looked miffed at his obvious avoidance of her. Cedric and Krum just shrugged.

"In past years it vas a maze," said Krum. "I believe they vill do the same."

"A maze?" asked Percy. "Doesn't sound so hard."

"That's a maze full of monsters," Cedric countered. "It will be really hard since we won't know what creatures will be in there or where they will be."

Percy grinned. Creatures he could deal with easily.

"I still want to know what all that 'Son of Poseidon' stuff was," Cedric said, looking at Percy. "Everyone keeps saying that you just used wandless magic, but it didn't feel like it. What did you do, Percy?"

Percy looked at him. "After this task is over, I might tell you."

Cedric hesitated but nodded.

"Vill you tell me as vell?" asked Krum. "I vould like to know."

"Me too," Fleur nodded. Percy hesitated when Fleur spoke but nodded.

"I guess, yeah."

Fleur eyed him. "Percy, why don't you-"

"Merlin's beard!" cursed Cedric loudly. "What have they done to the pitch?"

The champions all looked straight ahead at the Quidditch pitch. It was definitely a maze, thought Percy. Hedges had been grown all over the field. Cedric and even Krum were noticeably disgusted. Fleur rolled her eyes.

"It is just a pitch," she said with a huff. Cedric shook his head.

"It's more than that."

Krum nodded.

"Come on," Percy laughed. "I see Bagman and Hagrid down there. Let's go get this over with. I'm sure they'll fix the stupid pitch after the task is over."

"They better," grumbled Cedric as they walked down the hill to where Bagman and Hagrid were standing.

"Oh excellent, you are all here!" Bagman said excitedly. "Now as you all know, the third task is just around the corner. Now, can any of you tell me what you think the task will be?"

"A maze," Krum said. Cedric glowered at Bagman who gave a weak smile.

"Ye-Yes, very good! The third task is rather simple actually," he said, his usual excitement back. "All you must do is go into the maze and find your way to the end where the trophy will be waiting!"

"That's it?" Percy asked.

"Well, there will be some...challenges along the way for sure," Bagman nodded. "Can't have a task without a challenge."

Percy nodded. "Great. Are we done then?"

"Actually, Percy," he said, "I wanted to talk with you about the second task."

"Sorry, I need to get going actually," Percy cut him off. "I have some studying to do."

Before Bagman could react, Percy spun and walked away, the other champions following close behind. As they walked, Cedric and Fleur began discussing the differences between French and English cuisine, but Krum and Percy walked ahead of them not listening. After a few minutes of silence between the two of them, Krum placed a hand on Percy's shoulder.

"Do you mind if I speak to you for a minute?" he asked. Percy looked at the other two champions who had passed them, still talking about food, and nodded.

"Sure. What's up?"

"I vould like to know vat is your relationship vith Hermoninny."

It took a moment to process what he had even said before Percy chuckled. "Hermione? She's like an obnoxious little sister. Why do you ask?"

"I know that you are not involved," Krum said, chuckling slightly. "I just vanted to ask you if it vould be okay for me to continue to pursue her romantically. I do not vant you to think that I am stealing a friend or gathering information on you."

Percy patted Krum's shoulder back. "You're a good guy, Krum. I don't mind at all. Plus, there isn't really information to learn. If you have a question, I would probably just answer it myself."

"Like vat you meant by being the son of Poseidon?" Krum asked, eyebrow raised. Percy grinned.

"You'll find out, but not quite yet," he said. "Wait till after the third task. I have a feeling that things are going to be very different not long from now."

"Different how?"

Percy shook his head. "Ah ah, not yet. You'll find out later."

"I vill hold you to that," Krum said. Percy laughed and started heading back to the castle.

"I'm sure you will."

"Help!"

Both boys turned around, Krum with his wand raised and, to Krum's confusion, Percy held up his pen. He didn't get a chance to ask Percy about it when a figure came stumbling towards them.

"It's Crouch!" Percy said. "Where did he come from?"

"The forest?" Krum suggested. Percy shrugged and moved forward to help the man who had collapsed to the ground.

"Mr. Crouch," Percy said, "Mr. Crouch, are you okay?" Crouch began mumbling, and Percy looked up at Krum. "Go get Dumbledore!"

Krum hesitated for only a split second before hurrying towards the castle. Percy looked back down at Crouch.

"He's getting...stronger," Crouch rasped softly. "And it's all my fault."

"Who is getting stronger?" Percy asked. "Voldemort?"

"You...Know..."

"Voldemort," Percy nodded, knowing full well that many wizards and witches referred to the Dark Lord by the strange title of You Know Who or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. "How is this your fault, Mr. Crouch?"

"Junior...with him...Bertha...dead now..." Crouch said softly. Percy frowned. Hermione had mentioned a woman named Bertha Jorkins that had gone missing that summer. It had caused quite a stir in the magical government. Percy looked at the castle, hoping Krum would get Dumbledore soon. When he looked back at Crouch, the crazed man lashed out and struck Percy across the face with his fist.

Percy cursed and stumbled backwards. His impenetrable skin had protected him from much of the pain, but it had still shocked him. Crouch, however, must not have expected to punch something harder than diamond. His hand, now bloody and broken, hung limp, and he looked up at Percy fearfully. Percy growled and willed water to pour out from his ring and wrap around the man. When the water was entirely around him, Percy willed it to freeze. Crouch struggled to no avail. Percy sneered at him and waited for several minutes until Dumbledore, Karkaroff, and Krum came running down the path to them.

"What happened?" asked Dumbledore as he looked at the scene.

"He attacked me," Percy grimaced. "I just froze him in place until you all arrived."

"You attacked one of the judges!" Karkaroff cried. "You must be punished!"

"Gods, are you really that stupid or do you just want to see students punished?" Percy sneered at the Durmstrang headmaster. Karkaroff sputtered. "Ah, stupid then."

Dumbledore eyed Percy with only the barest hint of amusement. "Mr. Jackson. Please go to the infirmary and inform Madame Pomfrey that she will have a patient for the night."

Percy gave him a mock salute. "Aye aye, Captain." He looked at Karkaroff. "Later, Dumber." He winked at Krum and walked away from the group. He paused before he got too far and looked back at Dumbledore. He approached the headmaster who was giving directions to Karkaroff and Krum.

"Professor," Percy said quietly. Dumbledore turned and looked at him. Percy leaned to the man's ear. "Crouch said that Junior was with Voldemort, whatever that means, and that Bertha Jorkins is dead. Just to let you know. And that Voldemort is getting stronger."

Dumbledore nodded. Percy realized that as one of Hecate's stooges, of course he would already know all of this. "Thank you, my boy. Go on now."

Percy left them and headed up to the castle. His stomach garbled, and he realized just how bloody hungry he was. When was the last time he had eaten?

««‡»»

Harry crept down the hallway. It was the same one from his dream last summer. Muffled voices came from the same, wooden door at the end, and Harry looked around to make sure that Nagini, Voldemort's snake, wasn't slithering around beside him. He approached the doorway, where he had seen the old caretaker die months ago. Harry peeked inside and saw Wormtail talking to the chair that undoubtedly held Voldemort.

"He got away?" snarled a voice from the chair. Definitely Voldemort, confirmed Harry.

"M-m-m-master, it wasn't my fault! Crouch was supposed to get away, but that boy reacted too quickly! Dumbledore was there before I could interfere," Wormtail's whimpering was pitiful.

Voldemort coughed. "You should have killed the boy regardless. I am most displeased with your failure, Wormtail. Have you at least taken care of our other problem?"

"I have!" Wormtail nodded enthusiastically. "She has been taken care of. No one will ever find the body."

"Good, good. Perhaps you may still be of some use to me." Voldemort coughed again. "Contact Junior and make sure our plans are in order. I want what is rightfully mine."

"Yes master," Wormtail said, bowing and trying to leave the room. Harry felt himself move involuntarily towards the chair and tried to panic, but it was as though something else was in control of his body.

"Oh, and Wormtail?"

The short man turned.

"Milk Nagini."

Wormtail looked directly at Harry now and paled as Harry came closer, and it was then that Harry realized that he was dreaming through the eyes of the snake. Just before Wormtail's seedy hands could reach for him, Harry gasped and jumped out of bed. His pajamas were soaked in sweat, and his sheets were now in a heap on the ground. Judging by the amount of light coming in through the window, he figured that he still had an hour before breakfast. Harry was unbelievably grateful that he had had the vision during the night and not in Divination which was his first class of the day. Merlin only knew what Trelawny would have said.

He made to sit up in bed, but his scar sent a sharp pain throughout his entire body making him gasp and collapse backwards. He winced and clutched his forehead tightly, shoving his head into his pillow as well as though the fabric could somehow lessen the pain. Perhaps the fabric actually could as a few moments later, the pain subsided enough for him to get out of bed and grab his clothes. He jumped in the shower, intending for it to be quickly, though he lingered a little longer than necessary as the warm water did wonders for his head. When he was done, he dried off and put on his clean clothes, throwing his sweaty pajamas onto the heap of sheets for them all to be cleaned. Harry quietly left the dorm and padded down into the common room where he found Percy walking back in from his morning workout with Chiron.

"What's up, Harry?" asked Percy, not at all out of breath though Harry knew just how intensive his workout was. "You're up early."

"Had a nightmare," Harry said quietly. "Kind of like yours."

Percy's eyes widened before he nodded. "Do we need to go talk with someone?"

"Dumbledore possibly," Harry said. Percy nodded.

"I'll walk you over."

"You don't have to."

"Stop, I want to."

Harry gave a weak smile. "Thanks, Perce."

"Don't mention it," Percy grinned. "Now let's hurry before people start waking up. Or worse...Hermione."

Harry laughed as Percy led him out of the common room. "You know she's not that bad."

"I know," Percy said, "but do you really want her nagging you about what you dreamed?"

Harry shook his head. No, this was just between him and Dumbledore. And perhaps Percy. Percy knew what it was like to see things in his dreams. Things that would give him legitimate nightmares. The two of them walked silently through the castle, the portraits only just beginning to wake up due to the light shining in through the windows. A couple sneered at the boys as they walked, complaining about students being up too early. Percy didn't react, so neither did Harry. It was a weird feeling for Harry, looking up to someone. Sure, he had Sirius, but Sirius was in hiding. He hadn't even seen his godfather since he had flown off into the night on Buckbeak the hippogriff. Percy though, Percy was here. Percy had given him a way to escape his relatives over the summer. Percy had begun to train him to be stronger, faster, better. Percy was like his best friend, his brother, and an uncle all in one. He looked at the older boy as they walked, and he noticed something he had never seen before. Percy had a streak of grey hair on the side of his head. It was very hard to see with Percy's trimmed haircut, but the early light of the morning seemed to highlight it.

"Percy?" Harry asked. Percy hummed. "Why do you have grey hair?"

Percy rubbed his head where the streak was and glanced at Harry. "Chiron told you about when I was fourteen?"

Harry had to think for a moment. It felt like so long ago that Chiron had told them about Percy's past. Then he remembered. "When you held the sky?"

"Yeah, that," Percy nodded. "Holding that much weight puts too much stress on the body. So much so that it gave me actual gray hair."

"Bloody hell," muttered Harry. "Glad I didn't have to do that."

"Well, I can always take you on a trip to San Francisco and make you hold it," grinned Percy. Harry stared at him.

"I can't tell if you're joking or not."

Percy's wolfish grin sent a shiver down Harry's spine, and he hurried down the hallway to Dumbledore's office, Percy's laughter echoing off the walls. The teasing turned into a chase as Percy tried to catch up with the faster and more nimble Gryffindor seeker. The chase ended with Harry gloating in front of the gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office.

"Yeah, yeah, brag all you want," said Percy. "Let's wrestle later and see who is stronger."

Harry pushed his glasses back up off his nose. "That wouldn't be fair and you know it."

Percy just laughed and walked up to the gargoyle.

"Buttersnaps," Percy said. The gargoyle didn't move. Percy frowned and repeated the password, "buttersnaps." Still, the gargoyle didn't move.

"Maybe you need to have a British accent?" suggested Harry with a smirk. Percy punched him goodnaturedly.

"Fine, you try."

"Buttersnaps," Harry said. The gargoyle didn't move. "Guess not."

"Wait," Percy said, holding up a finger. "Quiet. Listen. You hear that?"

Harry leaned forward. There were muffled voices coming from behind the gargoyle. "Sounds like Dumbledore is talking to Fudge."

"Fudge?" Percy asked confused. "Why is he talking to a candy?"

Harry laughed. "Minister Cornelius Fudge."

"Minister of what?"

"Minister of Magic."

Percy nodded in understanding. "Gotcha. What's he saying? Your hearing is better than mine."

Harry leaned against the gargoyle. He waited a moment. "Dumbledore is trying to tell Fudge that Crouch told you that Bertha Jorkins is dead. Hey, she's the one that went missing over the summer."

"What is Fudge saying?"

Harry waited a moment, listening. "He doesn't believe Dumbledore that Voldemort killed her, naturally. He says that...wait, he just blamed Madame Maxime for killing her!"

"Why?" asked Percy confused. "That's such a wild accusation."

Harry's face burned red in anger. "He says it's because she's half-giant."

"That's stupid, isn't Hagrid half-giant?" Percy asked.

"Yeah, he is," Harry said. "And he's not bad at all."

"I've fought many giants," Percy said, "and I can confirm that neither Hagrid or Maxime are anything like them. For one thing, they don't refer to themselves in the third person like Baby Cakes or whatever his name."

"Baby Cakes?" Harry asked confused.

"Some giant that tried to kill me in dodgeball," Percy said, moving to listen to the conversation for himself. Harry gave him a strange look but said nothing.

"...we both know what giants are capable of!" came the muffled shout from who Percy assumed was Fudge.

"Cornelius," came Dumbledore's voice, "see reason! What reason would Madame Maxime have for abducting and killing Bertha? You have nothing but your ridiculous accusation."

"Ridiculous! I have stood by long enough as you've-"

"I believe we should have this conversation later," came a third voice. It sounded like Moody. "We have company."

Suddenly, the gargoyle moved to the side and Harry and Percy fell onto the staircase it guarded. Harry looked up at the top of the stairs and smiled sheepishly at the three men that were staring down at them. Dumbledore's eyes flashed in amusement, Moody looked rather frustrated that the boys had been caught, and Fudge was mixed between his anger towards Dumbledore and his fear of Percy-the champion who claimed he wasn't human.

"Hiya!" said Percy, sticking out his hand towards the Minister. "I'm Percy Jackson. I don't think we've met."

Fudge stared at his hand and reached out to shake it with a noticeable tremble. "A pleasure, I'm sure." He retracted his hand quickly and turned to Dumbledore, placing his hat on his head. "This conversation isn't over, Dumbledore."

"I never believed it was, Cornelius," Dumbledore said, showing Fudge to the exit of his office. Moody huffed at the two boys, took a swig from his flask, and stumbled away towards some dark part of the castle where he would no doubt try and scare some students. Percy and Harry waited awkwardly in the doorway to the Headmaster's office.

"So..." Harry said, "how've you been?"

Percy rolled his eyes at Harry just as Dumbledore returned.

"Ah, my apologies for all of that, boys," Dumbledore said, walked over to his desk and taking a seat. "It appears as though our Minister of Magic chooses to remain a fool. I do hope that his negligence does not cost us something dear in the coming days. But, that is not why you are here."

"No sir," said Harry, taking a seat in front of the desk. "I came because I had another dream." Harry explained to the Headmaster what he had seen, sparing no detail. Dumbledore sat pensively, occasionally rubbing a hand through his beard. "...and then I woke up, and Percy brought me here."

Dumbledore stood up. "Do either of you know what a Pensieve is?" The boys shook their heads. "A Pensieve is a goblet-like object in which you place a memory and are able to view it as though you are a spectator within it."

"That's...really cool," Percy said. "Are we going to use one?"

Dumbledore walked over to the corner of his office and pushed aside a dividing wall which revealed the Pensieve. It reminded Percy of the Goblet of Fire except instead of blue fire, it had crystal blue water. Harry and Percy walked over and looked at the water with fascination.

"I have two memories for us to look at," Dumbledore said.

"How do we look at them?" asked Harry. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Why, stick your head in, of course."

Percy and Harry exchanged confused looks but leaned into the water, falling into the memories. A few minutes later they popped back out, startled and rather disoriented.

"It is a strange feeling one's first time, is it not?" asked Dumbledore with a smile.

"You can say that again," Percy said, clutching his stomach as though it were uneasy.

"It does get easier," Dumbledore said. "Now, what did you learn?"

"Crouch had a son. Barty Crouch Junior," said Harry. "He has to be the Junior that Voldemort was talking about in my dream!"

"That is a good assumption," said Dumbledore, "except that Barty Crouch Junior died in Azkaban a few years ago."

Harry scrunched up his face. "Is there anyway it could have been faked?"

Dumbledore smiled. "There are ways, yes. That is what we must ask ourselves. Crouch is the only 'Junior' I know of that joined Voldemort. If he is alive, it would explain why Senior was acting so strange. He must have known that his son was alive still."

"Or his son used that Imperio-osy-icy-o spell thingy," Percy said.

"The Imperious spell?" Dumbledore scratched his beard. "Yes, that does sound plausible. We have no way of proving it, however."

"Professor," said Harry. "You said you had two memories to show us."

"Ah yes," Dumbledore nodded. He placed his wand on the water, and when he pulled it up, a strand of silver came up with it. Dumbledore placed the strand into one of the vials on his shelf then picked out another vial. He uncorked the second vial and poured the silver essence within it into the water. Harry and Percy shared a glance before entering the second memory. They emerged a few moments later.

"So Bagman was accused of sharing information with Voldemort without knowing it?" asked Harry. "How does that help us?"

"Maybe Bagman did the same thing this time," Percy offered. "He told the wrong person about the Tournament and that person told Voldemort."

"Maybe it wasn't Bagman this time," said Harry. "What if it was Crouch? If his son is the Junior we are looking for, then that could easily be where Voldemort got the information." Harry's eyes widened. "Wait, Voldemort got the information from Bertha Jorkins. What he would have needed was where to find her."

"Bagman probably wouldn't know that," Percy said. "He isn't in charge of Bertha. That would be Crouch."

"I think you are both coming up with some very good theories," Dumbledore said. "Now we must prove them. I will speak with some of my associates and have them track down the truth behind Barty Crouch Junior's death. In the meantime, I believe that you two are just about to miss breakfast."

The boys thanked Dumbledore and started walking down the steps out of the office when the Headmaster called out. "Wait, Harry, would you be so kind as to give me your memory of your dream?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure, how do I do that?"

"Just place your wand up to your temple, think hard about your memory, and then pull away." Harry followed the Headmaster's instructions and gave him the memory, placing it into a vial which Dumbledore held out for him. "Thank you kindly, dear boy."

Harry smiled and nodded, then followed Percy out of the office.

"They are getting closer to figuring it out," said a voice from behind the curtain in the back of the office.

"They are quite smart, they would find it eventually," said Dumbledore, his appearance morphing into that of a skeleton with a black cloak.

"And you are helping them why?"

"If you want them to believe that I am still on their side, Hecate," Thanatos said, turning around, "then I must do what I can to help. I will not tell them things outright. They will learn for themselves. Plus, they do not know that Moody is Junior nor what will happen at the third task."

"I want Jackson's head on a silver platter when this is over," Hecate sneered, stepping out from behind the curtain. "Remember that."

"I remember."

««‡»»

"Be safe," Percy said quietly, pulling Daphne into a hug. The group had been up late in the Library studying for exams, researching for the next task-though Percy said that if he could survive the Labyrinth then this maze would be a walk in the park. Daphne did not know what he was talking about-and discussing what Harry and Percy had discovered in Dumbledore's office.

"I'll be safe," Daphne assured him, smiling into the hug. With how busy everything had been, they really hadn't had time for intimate moments like this. It had been weeks since their last hug, and they still had not had their first kiss yet. Tracey felt the need to bring that up constantly. And that Harry was quite good at snogging. "I'll have Tracey with me."

"I'll see you in class tomorrow then," Percy said, pulling away. Daphne nodded eagerly. It had come as quite the surprise for all of them when Percy had joined their class. He explained that because he had missed so much, it would be easier for him to join the fourth years. Daphne enjoyed seeing him in class, though it was hard not to watch him. She had to maintain the image that she had no connection to any of the Gryffindors, much less Harry bloody Potter and his merry crew. That, and Draco was being a nuisance. The blonde ponce had taken to stalking Daphne and Tracey in all of his free time. How they had even made it to the Library this evening without being caught astounded them. Nevertheless, Daphne was very good with her wand and knew how to defend herself.

"I'll see you then," Daphne nodded and began walking towards her common room with Tracey.

"Oh my god," Tracey let out a breath as they rounded a corner. "That was excruciating."

Daphne blinked. "What?"

"You and Percy!" Tracey groaned. "Just snog each other already! Geez the tension between you two is painful!"

Daphne glared at her friend. "Don't you think we want to? When have we had the chance? Everytime we are alone, we get interrupted by something. I don't want our first kiss to be in front of you and everyone else as we try to run and get back to the common room before someone catches us."

"I guess you have a point," said Tracey. "Maybe find a broom closet?"

"Gah!" Daphne threw her hands in the air and stomped down the hall, Tracey cackling gleefully behind her.

"Well, well, well," came a voice from a dark alcove off to the end of the hall. Daphne and Tracey pulled out their wands. "Relax. It's just me." Draco Malfoy stepped into the torchlight.

"What are you doing, Malfoy?" asked Daphne.

Malfoy pulled out a green apple and took a bite, his eyes glazing over in euphoria for a blissful second. What an apple it was. He shook his head and looked at the girls. "I just wanted to make sure my fellow snakes were safe. You two have been out late. I was worried."

"I'm sure," Tracey scoffed. "We're fine. Come on, Daphne."

The girls made to continue towards their common room when Draco stepped in front of them. He eyed them both, looking them up and down as though he could see through their thick robes. "Just a moment. Where were you both?"

"Studying," Daphne said sharply. It was true, after all.

"Hmm," Draco nodded. "With who?"

"Just us," Tracey said. "What's it to you?"

"Nothing," Draco sneered. "Except...I just saw Scarhead leaving the library with the mudblood and the weaselette. You left at the same time. I saw you talking to that American freak."

"You've been stalking us?" Tracey cried, livid.

Draco took another bite of his apple and hummed. "I was watching to keep you both safe. I want to know what they have done to you. Did they slip you a love potion? Did the freak cast an unforgivable on you? It's the only answer."

"That is none of your business, Malfoy," Daphne said sternly, her grip tightening on her wand. "Now step aside."

"I don't think so," Draco shook his head. "You see, I've been watching that freak. He's been watching you for quite a while, Greengrass. He seems to be fixated on you. I care about what happens to you."

"I can handle myself," Daphne said, trying to push past him. Draco grabbed her arm and threw her back towards Tracey. Daphne snarled and pointed her wand at him. "How dare you touch me?"

"How dare I?" Draco repeated, his voice changing from false sincerity to anger. "You are a snake. You belong to me!"

"'Belong'?" Tracey practically shouted. "This isn't the Middle Ages, Malfoy. You don't _own_ us."

"Maybe not right now," Draco sneered, "but you will soon." He stared Daphne in the eyes. "My father will demand a betrothal contract from your father. You will be mine, Greengrass. I swear it."

"My father will never agree to that," Daphne said, a curse just on the tip of her tongue, ready to strike the blonde ponce in an instant. "Now go before I do something I won't regret."

"Are you threatening me?" Draco growled, in an instant, he flicked his wrist and Daphne's wand flew down the hall. Tracey tried to react, but Draco was too fast. Her wand too flew out of her grasp. The girls glared at Draco, but they stepped back against the wall instinctually. Draco laughed, then took another bite of his apple, "It's crazy how the tables turn so fast!"

"I don't actually see any tables," came another voice from down the hall. "Do you see any tables, Harry?"

"I don't, Percy!"

The Slytherins turned their heads sharply to look at them. Daphne and Tracey visibly relaxed seeing Percy and Harry walking towards them. Harry had his hand on his wand while Percy just twisted the ring on his finger. Draco glared at the Gryffindor boys.

"Go away, Gryffinfucks!" Draco said. "This is none of your business."

"See, it kinda _is_ our business," Percy said. He smiled and walked over to Daphne, pulling her into a hug. "We turned around and came back to find you because I forgot to give you girls these." Percy held out two necklaces. They were a glimmering silver color and were in the shape of tridents.

Daphne threw her arms around Percy's neck, hugging him tightly, both out of relief and to piss off Draco whose face was growing unbelievably red.

"I-You-What the hell is going on?" Draco yelled. Percy put the necklace around Daphne, and handed Harry the other to put around Tracey.

"I thought you've been stalking us," said Tracey. "Haven't you figured it out yet? My, you really _are_ stupid."

Draco pointed his wand at Tracey but was met with three wands pointed at him. Harry handed Tracey her wand back. She smiled and kissed him on the cheek much to Draco's chagrin.

"Let me explain this to you in simple terms," Percy said. "Daphne and Tracey are their own women. They do not belong to anyone. Not to me or Harry and certainly not to you, Malibou."

"Malfoy," Draco hissed.

"Whatever," Percy shrugged. "You can keep threatening to 'buy' Daphne, but let me make this clear to you: she will _never_ be yours."

"You keep thinking that," Draco said, his voice confident despite the overwhelming odds against him. "I'll have that betrothal contract soon."

Percy blinked. "A contract? You are trying to get her with a contract? Gods, you are the biggest idiot I've ever met. My brother Tyson is a genius compared to you." Percy stepped forward, his eyes beginning to glow a powerful sea green. "Daphne and Tracey are now under my protection. Understand?" Draco tried to retort, but his fear paralyzed his vocal chords. Percy grinned. "Good."

"Let's get you both to your common room," Harry told the girls.

"How did you guys even know where we were?" asked Daphne.

Harry and Percy shared a grin. Harry looked at Tracey. "I have my secrets."

"I won't snog you for a week if you don't tell me what it is," Tracey said. Harry's eyes widened. He looked at the older boy.  
"I have to tell her now."

They all laughed as Percy just huffed and made the motion of a whip.

"You would be too if you and Daphne would just find a broom closet," Tracey told him. Percy and Daphne blushed a bright crimson.

"I hate you so much," Daphne said under her breath.

"You won't hate me so much after you try it," Tracey laughed. Percy just shook his head in amusement.

They reached the Slytherin common room and Daphne and Percy moved to the far end of the hallway to give Tracey and Harry some space. Daphne placed a hand on the Gryffindor champion's arm. She looked at him, her blue eyes sparkling. "Thank you, Percy."

"Of course," he said softly. "I won't let anything happen to you. I won't let Ferret boy get any contract."

"I don't think that's really something you can change," Daphne whispered, "but I appreciate it."

"We'll see," Percy said. "Draco is very confident that you'll be his. I won't let that happen. I meant what I said to him. You are your own person. Whoever you end up with is your choice and yours alone."

"What if I've already chosen?" she said, a grin on her face. Percy's breath hitched. He looked down at her, staring into her smoldering eyes. She had a dimple on her left cheek. Since when did she have a dimple? Right, he thought to himself, that's what he should be focusing on right now.

"I-I...well...who, I mean like, have you chosen someone?" he winced at his own words. Daphne laughed softly and snaked a hand behind his neck, running her fingers gently through his hair. Goosebumps shot up all over Percy's arms and neck. He blushed.

Daphne stood up on her toes and leaned in to Percy's ear. She whispered, her voice sultry and filled with promise, "guess."

She pulled back but before she could move too far, Percy pulled her in closely and kissed her. Her eyes widened in surprise for only a moment before the fluttered closed. Her arms wrapped around Percy's neck, locking him into the kiss, and her own heart fluttered as Percy's arms circled her waist. The kiss itself was tender yet passionate. Percy's lips tasted faintly like a tropical drink which, Daphne thought, suited the ocean boy quite well. Percy, too, was in love with the taste of Daphne's lips which tasted of sweet berries and lilac. When they needed air, they pulled away, resting their foreheads together.

"That was..." Percy said, trailing off. Daphne placed a finger against his lips.

"Don't try to describe it." She kissed him softly on the corner of his mouth, his beard tickling her cheek, and pulled away fully. She smiled brightly at the boy in her arms. "Now I know why Tracey is always talking about finding a broom closet."

"I guess so," Percy laughed. He glanced at his watch. "I should be getting back to bed. And we need to get some rest if we are going to have to deal with...us...being made public."

"I guess you're right," Daphne nodded. They turned and spotted Tracey and Harry locked at the lips in front of the common room entrance. They walked up to them and coughed loudly. The love birds jumped apart in fright then glared at their friends who were bent over laughing.

"Come on, let's go," Harry grumbled. Harry waved goodbye to Tracey and dragged Percy away. "Did you guys have to do that?"

Percy wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh man, that was hilarious."

"You're an idiot. You know that right?"

"Whatever, lover boy. Let's go to bed."

As the boys made their way to their common room, Draco was rushing off to the Owlery. The Slytherin boy had been frozen in shock as the couples had walked away. When he could finally move, he had struggled to compose himself. Eventually, he decided not to go after them. Instead, he had a letter to write. Daphne would be his. His father would make sure of it. However, he never saw the shadowy figure of the Headmaster, casting a compulsive spell upon him.

Dumbledore watched Draco storm off. His heart was heavy. He wanted to spare Draco from all of this. He knew that with Lucius as his father, it would only be a matter of time before Draco would be dragged into the impending conflict between light and dark. He wanted Draco to see the truth, see the evilness of his father and the Dark Lord. But Hecate had other plans. The goddess of witchcraft wanted Percy Jackson dead. Even if it meant destroying the life of an innocent boy in the process. For now though, his part in this was done. Now, he just needed to wait until the third task to see whatever plan Hecate had. He only hoped that whatever happened, the world would not go up in flames. Somehow, though, he had a feeling that that just might happen.

 **A/N: Hello everyone, I am SO SO SORRY for taking so long to get this chapter done. You all deserve an explanation for your wait. I have mentioned before that I am still in college, and this is actually my very last semester. This means that I have TONS of work to do and one happens to be an independent study where I am creating my own work of fiction. Unfortunately, this has left very little time for writing fan fiction. I'm sorry, but I need to focus on this stuff first before EoD. I will still be writing EoD but updates will be very slow (at least this semester).**

 **In even sadder news (this is the worst of it all), my poor pupper was diagnosed with a mass celled tumor by his ear :/ This has been really stressful for me, so please keep Teddy (my lab mix) in your thoughts and prayers. His surgery will be scheduled sometime this week.**

 **So, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thank you so much to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed EoD. You guys are amazing. If you want more updates as to when I will be publishing new chapters, join my discord channel! The link to my server is in my profile description as well as pinned to the top of my twitter account: realSweets10**

 **Until next time!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Percy Jackson.**

Daniel Greengrass stood by the fireplace, waiting with motionless anxiety. He had been waiting for this day for some years now. It was only a matter of time before one of the other old families would come to him in order to make an offer. He just wished it wouldn't be Lucius Malfoy coming to him today.

The fireplace burst into green flames just as the grandfather clock chimed. Right on time as always. A tall man, dressed in silver robes and carrying a regal cane adorned with a snake head handle, strode out of the fireplace. Lucius Malfoy always made an impression. His long, white hair made him appear almost ethereal, but Daniel knew that beneath the man's appearance lay the cold, sinister heart of a sociopath. Lucius had avoided imprisonment in Azkaban fourteen years ago using his intellect and his material resources to blackmail and bribe his way to freedom. Many innocents had been placed under the imperious curse to do the Dark Lord's bidding, yet Lucius, who Daniel was quite sure was never coerced, used the same excuse to whitewash his guilt.

"Welcome to Greengrass Manor, Lord Malfoy," said Daniel, choosing to keep a level head throughout what he knew would be a conversation he would never forget. "Might I offer you a refreshment before we proceed to the office?"

"No thank you, Lord Greengrass," Lucius drawled. "I had rather hoped we could get this done as quickly and painlessly as possible."

"Of course," Daniel nodded. "Tiff!" A small house elf appeared beside him. "Please prepare some tea and bring it to the office."

Tiff nodded and popped out of the room. Daniel turned to his guest. "This way, if you please."

Lucius looked around at the foyer of Greengrass Manor. "You have a nice home, Lord Greengrass."

"Thank you," Daniel nodded in thanks. The Greengrass family, long time supporters of the arts, had amassed quite the collection of paintings and sculptures, several of which dated back to the age of antiquity. Daniel was especially proud of the sculpture of Theseus that stood guard at the end of the of the hallway leading to his office. The sculpture itself was ancient, having been created by none other than Phidias the legendary sculptor known for the statue of Athena that once resided within the Parthenon on the Athenian Akropolis. "We have quite the collection of art, as I'm sure you can see."

"Art bores me," Lucius said. "It is a waste of time and resources. Why waste money on something so... _impractical_ as 'art'?"

Daniel bristled but said nothing as they passed through the sitting room and down the hallway to the office. Daniel glanced at the statue of Theseus as he opened the door to his office and motioned for Lucius to pass through. Theseus had confronted the legendary Minotaur despite being lost and at a tremendous disadvantage. If only Daniel could draw upon that strength.

"Let's make this quick," Lucius said, stepping into the room. "I have an appointment with the Minister in two hours."

Daniel was ever grateful for his Occlumency training for keeping his face expressionless. Everyone knew that Lucius had the Minister in his pocket. Appointment his ass. He followed Lucius into the office and closed the door behind them.

"I received a rather...disturbing letter from my son two days ago, Lord Greengrass," said Lucius as he took a seat in front of Daniel's desk.

"Is that so?" Daniel asked, sitting down in his own seat. Tiff popped into the room, placing a tray with tea, cream, and sugar on the desk, and then popped back out. Daniel took a cup, dropped a cube of sugar into it, and leaned back. "What was the letter about?"

"It appears as though your daughter has been associating with the wrong people," Lucius said, grabbing a cup of tea for himself, pouring a little bit of cream. "I'm sure you know just how bad this looks for your family."

"And who, pray tell, are these 'wrong people' my daughter is associating with?"

"The Triwizard Imposter for one," Lucius said. "Draco also claims that your daughter has been seen after curfew with Potter as well."

Daniel put his tea on a saucer and steepled his fingers. "The Triwizard Imposter, as you put it, is quit the formidable champion or have you forgotten that he is in second place?"

"The boy is an imposter regardless," Lucius said. "It does not matter what place he is in. The matter of it all is that he does not belong in the tournament. There are many that believe, as I do, that he should be removed from the tournament and sent back to America where he belongs."

"I would be most curious to see what one would do to the one they call Dragonbane to send him back to America," Daniel said in amusement. "And as for the other, Mr. Potter is of a prominent and powerful house. If I am not mistaken, he is the heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Potter. Why shouldn't my daughter associate with such a prominent figure in our society?"

"We both know that the Potter family is in ruin," Lucius growled. "They are weakened and at their end. If your daughter continues associating with herself, she will be aligning the Greengrass family—the Ancient House of Greengrass—with Potter and through him, with Dumbledore. I am sure I do not need to tell you the consequences that will come with such an association."

"I do not need you, Lucius Malfoy, to tell me how my family should align," Daniel said firmly. "The Greengrass family has always been one of neutrality. Now how about we get to the point of you being here, and we can be done with it."

Lucius glared at him, and put his cup down. "I am simply looking out for the well-being of your family and its legacy."

"Get to the point already."

"I am offering you a contract, Lord Greengrass. A contract between my son Draco and your daughter."

"A marriage contract."

"Precisely. You know how advantageous this would be to your family. Aligning yourself with the Malfoy name is political and social power beyond anything you've ever seen."

Daniel leaned back. "So I am to choose whether my daughter will associate herself with House Potter or House Malfoy?"

"You cannot be serious that you believe there will be a marriage between your daughter and Potter?" Lucius said incredulously.

"Marriage, no," Daniel said. "But as you so pointed out, being seen near him is to be associating and aligning with him. So what is the difference between House Potter and House Malfoy?"

"He has no power," Lucius spat. "I do not understand why you even allow her to be near him."

"Who my daughter chooses to be near is up to her not you, Malfoy," Daniel said squarely. "As such, I refuse to accept any marriage contract for my daughter regardless of who it is from."

Malfoy sneered and dropped a rather large and hefty sack onto the desk. "20,000 galleons for your daughter."

"This isn't a bloody cattle auction," Daniel growled. "Now get out of my house."

Lucius stood up, grabbing his money, and slammed his cane into the ground. "You will rue the day you chose to defy House Malfoy. Good day, Greengrass."

Daniel watched Lucius leave the office and waited until he heard the crackle and pop of the floo. Tiff popped into the room. "He is gone now, milord."

"Thank you, Tiff," Daniel nodded. "That'll be all for now." Tiff bowed and left. Daniel walked over to his cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Firewhiskey and a shot glass. The Malfoys were a powerful enemy. Daniel knew he could withstand Lucius in the Wizengamot for a while, but eventually, he just knew Lucius and his allies would come knocking on his door. Daniel took four shots in a row then placed the glass as gently as he could on the table.

"Damn you, Lucius. Damn you."

Daniel sat down in his chair. He pulled out a piece of parchment and grabbed a quill. He dipped it into some ink and began writing. A few miserable minutes later, he rolled up the parchment and dripped some wax onto it to seal it, then pressing his signet ring into the wax, marking it with the Greengrass house crest. "Tiff!"

Tiff popped back into the room. "Yes, Master Greengrass?"

"Give this to an owl and send it to Daphne. She needs to get this immediately."

Tiff took the letter and bowed before popping out again. Daniel sighed in pain, then grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey and the shot glass.

"What happened?" came the sweet, calming voice of his wife Alison from the doorway.

Daniel poured himself a shot. "I turned Lucius and his bloody marriage contract down."

Alison stepped into the office and grabbed her own shot glass. Daniel hesitated for a moment before pouring her some.

"Damn that man to hell," Alison murmured. Daniel nodded, and clinged his glass to her.

"Damn that man to hell."

««‡»»

"Hey Draco," called out Theodore Nott, "who do you think is going to win the third task?"

Draco puffed up his chest as many people from the Slytherin table turned to look at him. It was a rather busy morning already, being a Hogsmeade weekend. Nearly all the students third year and up were in the Great Hall eating breakfast and anxiously awaiting the trip into town. Many at the Slytherin table who did not even care for Draco or his loud mouth were in such a good mood in anticipation of leaving the castle for the first nice weathered weekend in nearly two months that they too turned to listen to him.

"Clearly there is only one person who has the strength to win," Draco said. "Viktor Krum will win the task and the tournament."

Daphne and Tracey rolled their eyes at one another. Draco had been even more of an arrogant ass ever since he had confronted them a few weeks back and gotten humiliated by Percy and Harry. Daphne worried that Draco knew something they didn't, but since nothing had happened as of yet, she wasn't sure if he did or not.

"You really think that?" asked Blaise Zabini from across the table. "Cedric is in first place, and Jackson is in second. I think they all have a good shot at the trophy."

Draco snorted at that. "Jackson is nothing but an arrogant ass—" there were a couple choked laughs at the irony "—and we haven't seen him use any magic so far. He's gotten lucky."

"And what about him being the 'Son of Poseidon'?" Blaise pressed. Honestly, no one knew what to make of the title. The Daily Prophet had released an article explaining the second task and had mentioned Percy being called the Son of Poseidon, but aside from explaining that Poseidon was the Ancient Greek god of the ocean, there had not been any sort of conjecture as to what it meant. Only Daphne, Tracey, and their Gryffindor friends knew the truth.

"It's all shite," said Draco. "The only way Jackson could have gotten the merpeople to obey him like that is by use of an unforgivable. Mark my words, Jackson's crimes will come out sooner or later and then he'll be either sent to Azkaban or back to America. I myself believe he should be given the Kiss."

"Ignore him," murmured Tracey. "He's jealous that's all."

Daphne nodded. "I know. I'm just worried he will do something awful."

"We'll keep an eye on him," Tracey said. "The second he does something, we'll make sure Dumbledore and Percy know."

Daphne nodded again, her hand reaching up to hold the two pendants that hung above her heart. Both were silver and in the shape of a tident, though the larger of the two had a leather band wrapped around the trident. Tracey, too, had one identical to the larger one around her neck. According to Percy when he had confronted Draco, the pendants placed both girls under his protection. Daphne didn't need a pendant, but knowing that Percy cared enough to want to keep her safe at all times meant a lot. She just hoped that when the time came to fight, Percy wouldn't try and prevent her. Somehow, she doubted he would.

"Relax," Tracey said, "you'll be fine."

A squawk from a post owl interrupted Daphne from responding. Her family's owl, Gale, landed on the table in front of her, sticking her leg out to which was attached a letter sealed with her father's ring. Daphne frowned.

"Dad's never sent me a letter this formally before," she said.

"I wonder what it's about," Tracey said, equally confused.

"Dammit!" cursed Draco loudly. His friends and cronies all asked what was wrong, and when Daphne turned to look at him, he met her eyes with a fierce glare. In his hands was another letter, sealed just as formally. His hands shook in anger, and instead of answering his friends, he stood up and stormed out of the Great Hall.

"I bet Daddy Malfoy didn't buy him the pony he wanted," Tracey snorted, turning to Daphne. "So what does your dad want?"

Daphne broke the seal and unfurled the letter. She quickly read her father's leader, her eyes widening in shock and not a little bit of fear. Tracey put a hand on Daphne's.

"Daph, what's wrong?"

"I'm the pony Mr. Malfoy didn't buy," Daphne whispered. "My dad rejected a marriage contract with House Malfoy."

"Merlin!" Tracey hissed. "But at least your dad said no, right?"

"Dad says he's terrified that Draco might try something and that he will hold Malfoy and his allies for as long as he can," Daphne said, her Ice Queen façade threatening to break.

"So what?" Tracey asked confused. "Your dad thinks eventually he'll just have to give in? That's stupid!"

Daphne nodded, not saying a word for fear that saying anything would bring tears to her eyes and she could not afford to cry in the Great Hall. "I need to find Percy."

"Want me to go with you?" asked Tracey.

"No, that's okay," Daphne shook her head. "Go have fun in Hogsmeade." Harry had promised to take Tracey in a fun and 'secretive' date in Hogsmeade. "I don't want to take that from you."

Tracey hesitated before nodding. "I'll find you as soon as we get back."

"I know," Daphne said with a forced smile. "I just need to see Percy right now."

"Be careful, hon," Tracey said softly, getting up from the table. "Watch your back."

"I will."

Daphne waited at the table until she was the last Slytherin her age in the hall. She looked over at the Gryffindor table and saw that Hermione and Ginny were sitting together at the end closest to the doors. She stood up and walked over to them.

"Granger, Weasley," Daphne said, knowing she couldn't exactly make their friendship public. Not yet anyways. Not when Draco and his father were apparently searching for any reason to try and coerce her dad into signing a contract.

"Greengrass," Hermione nodded, thankfully keeping up with the ploy. "What do you want?"

"I need to speak with Jackson," Daphne said. "Do you know where he is?"

"I think he's down by the lake," Ginny said. The Gryffindor girls gave her a subtle wink and smile before returning to their conversation. Daphne quickly turned and left the Great Hall before any of the older Slytherins could notice and say anything.

It really was a nice day outside. If it hadn't have been for the awful letter, Daphne knew she would be outside taking long walks and possibly heading down to Hogsmeade although she didn't care too much for the small town. Too many students all crowding into the shops. She much preferred spending Hogsmeade weekends alone to herself or even with Tracey just walking around the lake. Today, she wished it was just another walk.

Daphne wondered to herself as she walked as to when she had come to depend on Percy. In all honesty, they hadn't spent much time together. Ever since the night they had shared their first kiss, it had been as though all the professors had decided to make their social lives as nonexistent as possible. Between all the exams and essays, Daphne and Tracey had not been able to spend any time at all with their Gryffindors. At least Tracey would get to spend a pleasant day with Harry. All Daphne knew was that she needed Percy to be there with her. Having the Malfoys after her was too much. She had always been able to depend on herself, but right now...right now she felt alone. She felt as though the weight of the world was on her shoulders.

She walked around the lake, looking to see if she could spot Percy, but had no luck. Tears pricked her eyes. Would her father give in to Malfoy and his demands? Malfoy held a very powerful position in their society. The Minister and so many others depended on Malfoy and his money. The amount of pressure they could put on Daphne's dad would have unimaginable consequences for their family. If Malfoy didn't back down, her father might not have any choice but to give in and sign a contract. Daphne wiped a tear. At least it would be her and not her sister. And hopefully the bride price would be enough to keep her family financially stable.

Daphne wept. The hypotheticals—the what if's—they all came crushing down on to her. She hated Draco. Hated everything he and his family stood for. Why did they have to go after her? Why? Why not Pansy? Or the Carrow twins? Daphne collapsed to her knees beside the lake, the water just barely reaching her knees. The world was so unfair. She had finally met the boy of her dreams and now the possibility of being forced into Draco's bed hung like a noose above her head.

The water rippled around her as though the wind itself was swimming by. Percy...what was Daphne going to tell Percy? He didn't come from their world. He didn't grow up knowing about family legacy and heritage—he had his own problems to deal with. How in Merlin's name would he react to all of this? The water rippled again, but this time, it swirled as though being pushed from different directions. Daphne wiped her tears on her scarf, watching the water, and then, her pendant began to glow. It was a soft, green light, that pulsed from the trident that rested on her heart.

"Daphne?"

Daphne looked up, her eyes red from her crying. Percy stood in the lake completely dry in just a shirt and swimming trunks. Where had he come from? He walked over to her, his movements graceful despite being knee deep in water.

"Daphne, what's wrong?"

His voice carried genuine concern, his sea green eyes conveying his care for her. Daphne began to cry again. Percy hurried to her side, dropping onto the beach beside her, and pulled her to his chest. He said nothing. He didn't have to. His right arm wrapped around her waist, protecting her from whatever was causing her grief, and his left hand rose up and cupped her cheek as he brushed away her tears with his thumb. He leaned down and hummed into her hair, calming her and bringing her wracking sobs down to a sniffle.

"I'm here now," he whispered gently into her hair. "I'm not going anywhere."

Daphne burrowed her face into his chest. When she felt confident in her voice, she pulled back slightly so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. "My dad sent me a letter today. Draco's dad went to see him about signing a betrothal contract."

"A betrothal contract?" Percy asked, confused. "Betrothal as in marriage? A marriage contract?"

Daphne modded. "Malfoy wants to my dad to align our house with House Malfoy."

"By signing a marriage contract?" Percy asked again. "Is this what Draco meant by owning you?"

"Yes," Daphne whimpered softly. Percy hugged her tighter.

"Your dad didn't agree to it did he?"

"No...but he is worried that Malfoy is going to make our lives miserable until he signs."

Percy frowned. "How could he make your lives miserable?"

"The Malfoys have a lot of political power and a lot of money," Daphne said. "Their allies could make my dad's life a living hell."

"So Malfoy is threatening your family just so that you will have to marry Draco?" Percy shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that is just ridiculous." Percy hesitated. "Although...judging by how his son acts that does seem like the only way Draco will ever get married."

Daphne smiled a bit at that. "My father has a lot of money and runs a very prestigious company that deals in importing and exporting art from around the world. We don't have as much as the Malfoys, but we have enough that we are seen as a credible threat to Malfoy's agenda. Forcing a marriage between our families means my dad can't work against Malfoy."

"That's some serious old school family crap," Percy said quite eloquently. "So it all comes down to money." Daphne nodded. "So why now? Why wait until you're 14? Don't these contracts usually come out earlier? Or did I really not pay attention in English class? I'm pretty sure I read about this in all those old British literature novels."

"It is rather odd," Daphne agreed. "I think Draco is threatened now, and that he needs to act immediately."

"Threatened by what?"

"You," Daphne said softly, pulling away so she could look at Percy. "He's threatened by you."

"Why?" Percy asked. "Because I said I would protect you?"

"Because of how close you are to me," Daphne said. "Us together...that is a threat to Draco and his own misguided belief that he owns me."

"So by using money and what? Social prestige, he can force you to marry him?" Percy asked. "He's threatening your family just so that you will stay away from me and go to Draco?"

Daphne nodded, her eyes brimming with tears. "Yes."

"Wow what an asshole," Percy said with a chuckle.

"That's it?" Daphne said, pulling away. "My life is being decided because of threats and money and you just laugh it away?"

Percy shook his head. "I'm not laughing at you or at what's happening. I'm...you know what? I think it would be better if I just showed you."

"Show me what?" Daphne eyed him with confusion. She wasn't sure if she was frustrated or hurt with his reaction. Perhaps both.

Percy stood up and held out his hand for her to take. She took it, and he pulled her up to her feet. "Do you trust me Daphne Greengrass?"

Daphne looked into his eyes. Did she trust him? "Yes," she whispered after a moment. "Yes, I trust you."

"You never did get to see the second task did you?" Percy asked. Daphne shook her head, glaring at him.

"You never told me you had a cousin."

Percy blushed. "Fair enough. How about I show you what you missed?"

"How do you plan on doing that? Do you have a pensive out here?"

"I have something much better." Percy looked at her robes and scarf. "You might want to take your robes and scarf off."

Daphne poked him in the chest. "Trying to get me out of my clothes, Percy? That's not very appropriate. Especially right now."

Percy laughed. "We are going into the lake. You don't want to go in there wearing all that."

" _In the lake_?" Daphne cried. "Why in Merlin's name would we go into the lake?"

"Trust me, Daphne," he said. "Just trust me."

Daphne looked at him, looked at the cold water, then looked at him again. "Okay...but you have to cast a warming charm on me first."

"You won't need it," Percy said. "I promise."

Daphne hesitated before stepping back and removing her robe and scarf. She then transfigured her shirt and pants into a modest two piece. Percy couldn't help but gaze at her in admiration. She was perfect in every way. Daphne snapped her fingers at him. "You can ogle me later, Percy."

Percy grinned. "Promise?"

"If you're good," Daphne smiled in spite of herself. She walked back over to him and took his hand. Percy kissed the back of her hand and then began guiding her into the lake. Daphne hissed as the cold water inched up her legs. When Percy chuckled, she flicked his ear. "Don't laugh. Do you always swim in a shirt?"

"I never said we would be going swimming," Percy said with a grin.

"Then what did you me—" Daphne was cut off as Percy wrapped her in a hug and jumped into the lake. They had been standing at a cut off point. A few feet further and the lake floor dropped at a violent angle, descending into darkness. Daphne held her breath in a panic and tried to thrash and swim to the surface when she realized that they weren't even wet. She looked around and saw that Percy was holding her as the water seemingly brought them down gently to the bottom of the lake.

"What in Merlin's name?" she hissed. Percy smiled sheepishly.

"It's always better to get the scary part of getting into the water over with fast," he said. "Don't worry, you won't get wet and you can breath normally."

"How?" she asked. "I've never heard of any sort of magic like this."

"This isn't magic," he said softly. "I'm the son of Poseidon remember?"

Then it clicked. Percy had powers over water just like his father. Daphne's eyes widened in surprise. "You can do this just naturally?"

"Always have been," Percy said. "Actually, I can breath underwater, but when I'm with someone who can't, it's easier to just create a bubble of air."

Their feet rested on the lake floor, and Daphne was surprised to see that the ground was dry and not muddy. She looked around, aside from the small glow from her pendant and a hint of light from the sun, it was totally black around her. Figures being the Black Lake and all. Percy looked around and shook his head.

"This lake really isn't the greatest, but it is quite lovely in light," he said. He let go of Daphne and clapped his hands. Suddenly, plants all around them began to glow brightly, lighting up the entire lake floor in ethereal light. Daphne gasped.

"It's so beautiful!" she whispered. She reached out to touch the edge of the water around her as a school of fish swam by. She looked at Percy. "This is amazing, Percy!"

"I'm glad you like it," Percy said, smiling at her. "I've found since I came back to Hogwarts that this is the closest place around that feels like home to me. It's calming."

Daphne nodded, looked around in amazement. Percy grinned and sat down on the ground and patted beside him. Daphne sat down as Percy reclined, learning back against a large stone jetting out of the ground. Daphne followed his lead and laid back, placing her head on his chest. His arm came up and pulled her to him, and Daphne sighed in comfort.

"I laughed up there because if Malfoy knew the strength I have, he would never threaten to take you away or force you away from me," Percy said softly.

"Cocky much, Percy?"

"No, just honest," he said. Daphne had admit he was right. From defeating the dragon to this, it was clear Percy wielded tremendous power. "I told you I would never let Draco own you, I intend on keeping that promise. I swear it on the Styx."

Thunder boomed above their heads. Daphne looked up at him. "Swearing on the Styx? What is that?"

"It is an unbreakable promise," Percy said. "To go against it is to lose your soul to the River Styx. Gods and Titans all know how dangerous it is to break such a promise."

"Like our unbreakable vow?" asked Daphne.

"What happens if you break that?"

"You lose your magic or you die."

"Then no," Percy said. "If you die, you just go to the Underworld and either to Elysium, the Fields of Asphodel, or to the Fields of Punishment. No, to break a promise on the Styx means your soul will always belong to the river with no escape. It makes being in the Fields of Punishment look like a vacation."

Daphne felt a tear come to her eye. "And you just made such a promise to keep me safe from Malfoy?"

Percy modded. "Of course."

"Why?" she asked incredulously.

"Because you mean that much to me," he said. "Gods, I don't know how but you have come to mean the world to me. I'm sure that if I had to do the second task all over again, it would be you that they put in the lake."

Daphne smiled brilliantly up at him. "You mean that much to me too, Percy. Thank you."

"I know you can protect yourself," Percy said. "I can just sense it. You're a very powerful witch. I guess I'm just selfish. I want you."

"It's okay to be selfish," Daphne whispered.

"Is it?" Percy asked, whispering back.

"Very."

Daphne leaned up and kissed him, their eyes closing. They both hummed, their affection for one another drawing them close. This kiss, unlike their first, was full of power and emotion. It wasn't lust—not entirely. It was kindness, gentleness, and need. Daphne opened her mouth slightly, the faint echo of all her past conversations with Tracey guiding her along, and traced Percy's lips with her tongue. When his tongue met hers, they both moaned softly. They kissed for what felt like an eternity before Daphne reluctantly pulled away. She smiled at Percy and he smiled back. They didn't need to say anything. They both knew how amazing it was. Daphne knew in that moment why she had come to depend on Percy—why she had sought him out after her father's letter. He was her anchor. She felt drawn to him, she felt strong with him.

They said nothing, Percy just pulled her closer, pulling her into his lap as she snuggled into his chest. His eyes closed in peace and contentment, happy to hold the girl that had come to mean the world to him in his arms. Daphne looked up at him and ran her fingers over his cheeks, memorizing every detail of him. As she looked at him, she felt a sense of familiarity, as though she had seen him somewhere other than at Hogwarts. Maybe it was just her emotions running high. She certainly felt as though she had known Percy much longer than she really had. Sure, this was only their second kiss and she could count the number of times they had been alone together on one hand, but she felt something connecting them together. Was it love? She shook her head. It couldn't be. It was too soon for that. Wasn't it?

She looked back at him, trying to ignore the L word and ran her fingers through his hair, smiling as he hummed contentedly at her actions. He seemed to really like that. As her fingers moved, she noticed a steak of grey in his hair. She frowned. "Percy?"

"Hmm?"

"What is this streak of grey hair?"

Percy opened his eyes and looked at her. "That's kind of a long story."

"We have all the time in the world."

"Well," Percy said, "it was back when I was 14. You remember how I said that one night in the library about how I sort of forced my way on a quest to go rescue Lady Artemis?" Daphne nodded. "Well, I left out a lot of stuff. See, quests are only supposed to have three people. It's sort of an unwritten rule. With me on the quest, there were five people on the quest. Me, my cousin Thalia, Zoe who was the leader of the Hunters of Artemis, Bianca—Nico's sister—who just joined the hunters, and my satyr friend Grover."

"Satyr?"

"Yeah, his upper half is human, and his legs are goat legs. He also has horns." Percy laughed. "I know, it sounds weird. It was weird when I first figured out what he was, but I'll save that for another time. Anyways, I wasn't supposed to be on the quest, but I forced myself onto the team because I wanted to save my friend Annabeth." Daphne stiffened a bit at that but said nothing. Percy had mentioned Annabeth before as his best friend at camp, though the way he talked about her, Daphne was fairly certain she had died last summer. "Well, since quests are supposed to only have three people, when there's more, shit happens to bring the number down to three."

"What do you mean?"

Percy sighed. "We fought a couple of monsters and beasts and stuff, and eventually we arrived in New Mexico at a place called the Junkyard of the Gods. Because everything there belonged to Hephaestus—the god of the forge—we figured we shouldn't touch anything at all. We almost made it but Bianca had picked up a small little figurine to give to Nico who was only like 11 or something then. A giant metal guardian showed up and tried to kill us for taking something." Percy took a breath. "Bianca died killing the guardian."

Daphne gasped softly.

"After that we traveled through California and eventually we reached a mountain called Mount Tamalpais which was actually Mount Othrys from Ancient Greece where the Titans lived. There we found the Garden of the Hesperides."

"Isn't that where Hera's apple tree is?" asked Daphne. Percy looked at her in surprise. She smiled. "My dad loves Ancient Greece and used to tell us stories. I don't remember a lot, but I remember that one because of the dragon that guards the tree. Landon, Land...something?"

"Ladon," Percy nodded. "I'm impressed! Well, we found out that Zoe used to be a Hesperides and her sisters were not happy to see her. Ladon attacked us and we somehow got away, but Zoe got bit and Ladon's bite is poisonous."

"Did she die?" Daphne asked in concern.

"No," Percy shook his head. "We made it up to the top of the mountain and that's where we found Annabeth tied up by the Titan Atlas."

"He was the one that held the sky!" Daphne said. "I remember that!"

Percy nodded. "Except he was free from his curse. He had Artemis holding the sky instead. We started to fight Atlas and the traitor Luke. We were losing bad. We had no other option, so I took Artemis' place under the sky."

Daphne's eyes widened. "You _held the sky_?"

"That's what the grey is from," Percy said, reaching up and touching the streak. "That much weight puts a lot of stress on the body which turned part of my hair grey."

Daphne shook her head in utter amazement. He had held the sky. The sky! She looked at him. "So what happened next?"

"Turned our that Zoe was Atlas' daughter, and he was furious with her and in their fight, he killed her." Daphne gasped again. "Artemis fought him harder and harder and eventually she kicked him back at me and he knocked me out from under the sky and then got stuck there again."

"That is...insane," Daphne said. "I don't really know what else to say."

"It was an awful trip," Percy said, "and I hate what happened to Bianca and Zoe. But, they're not suffering anymore."

"Are they in Elysium?"

"No," Percy said. "Well, Bianca was, but I think she is trying to get reborn."

"Reborn?" Daphne asked confused.

"When someone dies," Percy explained, "they can try and be reborned as long as they entered Elysium. If you are reborn three times and each time you achieve Elysium, you are welcomed into the Isle of the Blest which is even greater than Elysium. But it's rather exclusive as I'm sure you can tell."

"I don't think it would be worth it," Daphne said. Percy shook his head.

"Me neither."

"What about Zoe?"

"Zoe is up in the sky now," Percy said. "After she died, Lady Artemis—who is the goddess of constellations—turned Zoe's spirit into a constellation."

"Wow," Daphne said softly. "That is amazing."

"It is," Percy nodded. "Artemis also made another constellation this past summer after the big battle to honor everyone that passed away."

"Was it bad? The battle I mean?" Daphne wanted to kick herself. Of course it was bad!

"It was awful," Percy whispered. "It still haunts me."

"I'm here now," Daphne said softly, cupping his cheek. "I'm not going away."

Percy smiled at her. "Good."

She grinned and kissed him again. They stayed like that for a few minutes, enjoying the kiss and enjoying the closeness before Daphne pulled away. "It's lunchtime. We should probably head into the castle."

Percy nodded. He stood up and helped Daphne to her feet. She smiled and hugged him. "This really has been an amazing day. You made an awful morning so much better."

"I'm glad," he said with a smile. "Now come on, I'm starving."

Taking his hand, Daphne and Percy were lifted up out of the lake and onto dry land. Daphne frowned. "After all that, the forest just looks bland."

"Wait till you see Atlantis," Percy said with a grin.

"Atlantis? It's real?" Daphne asked.

"Oh yeah," Percy said. "It's my dad's kingdom."

"You want me to come to your dad's kingdom?"

Percy blushed, not really thinking about it that way. "Well, yeah."

"Then you'll have to come to my home sometime," Daphne grinned, glad to see him blush.

"I guess this is rather late, but Daphne, would you be my girlfriend?" Percy asked. Daphne's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that question. Honestly, yes she did. But with everything going on with Malfoy and Draco...Percy promised to keep her safe...

"Yes," she said sweetly. "Of course, yes."

Percy grinned and they shared another sweet kiss before the pulled apart so that Daphne could transfigured her swimsuit back into her regular clothes. She put on her robe and scarf and laughed at Percy's frown.

"You'll have other chances to see me take clothes off."

Percy choked. Daphne grinned and started walking back to the castle. She turned and looked at Percy who was still gaping at her.

"Coming?"

* * *

Daphne had tried to split up, she had wanted to put up her Ice Queen façade. She didn't want something to happen to her or to Astoria if she were seen with Percy, but he refused to let her. He boldly took her hand as they stepped into Hogwarts. She blushed prettily, but when she tried to reason with him all he said was, "No. We won't let others control us. I'm crazy about you Daphne Greengrass. Im not going to hide it."

If her cheeks were red before, they must have burst into flames then. Percy had just grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Come on," he said, "I need to head down to the kitchens, and you're coming with me."

Daphne had never been to the kitchens before. She wasn't even quite sure where they were. Percy guided her down to the basement beneath the Great Hall.

"Isn't the Hufflepuff common room down this way?" Daphne asked. Percy shrugged.

"I guess? I don't really know." He walked over to a large portrait of a bowl of fruit. He reached up and tickled the pear which giggled and suddenly, the portrait swung open revealing a massive kitchen and many house elves hard at work.

"Oh wow," said Daphne. "This is incredible!"

"It is, isn't it?" Percy smiled. He let her go in first, and as they stepped inside, the portrait closed behind them.

"Master Jackson!" said a rather exuberant house elf. "Dobby has your plate, Master Jackson!"

Percy walked over and took his plate from the little elf and smiled. "Thanks, Dobby. Is the furnace ready?"

Dobby nodded his head excitedly. "Yes, yes, of course! Furnace is always ready for Master Jackson."

Percy laughed. "Alright, thanks, Dobby."

"Does, Miss..."

"Greengrass," said Daphne softly.

"Does, Miss Greenie want a plate?" asked Dobby. Daphne held back a laugh at the silly name and looked at Percy.

"Do I want a plate?"

Percy shrugged. "Sure."

Daphne nodded at Dobby who popped away then popped right back, holding a plate of food for Daphne. Daphne took it and smiled. "Thank you."

Dobby's eyes began to water. "Master Jackson has the nicest friends."

Percy just laughed and guided Daphne further into the kitchen over to the furnace.

"What are we doing here, Percy?" asked Daphne.

"As a demigod," Percy said, "I have to do some things that are bit more...traditional, I guess you could say. When I eat meals, I'm to sacrifice a portion of what I eat to the gods. Mainly my dad."

"How do we do that?" Daphne asked. Percy smiled warmly at her, glad that she didn't question it, she just accepted it. Instead of answering her, Percy stepped up to the furnace and, with a knife, cut off a portion of his roast beef and tossed it into the fire.

"For Poseidon," he whispered. The fire crackled with power then died down. "That's all you do."

Daphne nodded and walked over to the furnace, taking the knife from him. She cut off a piece from her plate and tossed it into the fire. She whispered, "For Poseidon."

The fire blazed just as it had done for Percy though for a few moments longer, then died down. Percy frowned, and Daphne looked at him in concern.

"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, worried.

Percy quickly shook his head no. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. I just expected the fire to...I don't know. I guess I expected it to be bigger." Why had it been so different with Ginny? Percy shrugged then smiled at Daphne. "Thank you for doing that. I really appreciate it."

"Of course," Daphne smiled, "anything for-" she was cut off as Percy's ring began to glow and water came gushing out of it. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Here we go again," he said. Daphne looked at him in fear.

"What? What do you mean?"

Before Percy could respond, the water swirled upwards until a man appeared. He wore a fisherman's hat and a Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts. Percy bowed his head.

"Father," Percy said. Daphne's eyes widened, and she quickly dropped to her knees in respect. Poseidon looked at her then looked at Percy.

"Ah, so this is the beautiful girl you always talk about," Poseidon said, winking at Percy. "You can stand, miss."

Percy blushed. "I-I, what?"

Daphne stood up, blushing herself. "You talk about me a lot, Percy?"

"I, I mean yeah I guess," Percy said, scratching his head. He glared at his dad. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

"I came to see which mortal was sacrificing to me now," Poseidon said. "It couldn't have been a coincidence that the sacrifice was made so soon after yours. Has my son been treating you well?"

Daphne nodded.

"Good," Poseidon nodded. "If he doesn't, you have permission to do as you see fit."

Percy paled at the sinister grin on Daphne's face.

"Hear that, Percy? He gave me permission."

Poseidon laughed. "Oh, I like you." The god shook his head. "Where are my manners, I am Poseidon. You must be...Daphne?"

"Daphne Greengrass, milord," she said.

"Milord?" Poseidon grinned. "I like you even more. Treat her well, Perce."

"Hey dad," Percy said. "Before you go, I need to talk with you for a moment."

Poseidon nodded.

"I'll go wait out in the hall," said Daphne. "It was nice meeting you, Lord Poseidon."

"The pleasure was all mine," Poseidon said, nodding his head at her. When Daphne left the kitchens, he turned back to his son. "What's wrong?"

"Daphne's sacrifice wasn't nearly as powerful as Ginny's was it?"

Poseidon shook his head. "No it wasn't. That's not to say it wasn't powerful, though. It was certainly one of the strongest sacrifices any mortal has ever done. She is one strong...witch?"

Percy nodded. "Do you have any idea why Ginny's would be so much stronger?"

"Is she a clear sighted mortal?" asked Poseidon.

"Actually," Percy said, "I'm pretty sure she is. She could see Anaklusmos way back when I first got here. Everyone else never saw it until recently."

"That could explain part of it," Poseidon said, "but there's more to that girl than that. We'll have to keep an eye on her."

"I will," Percy agreed.

"Is that it?"

"No..." Percy wasn't sure how to bring this up. "No, there's something I need help with with Daphne."

"I thought Chiron already gave you the talk?" Poseidon asked. Percy blushed and shook his head.

"Really didn't need a reminder about _that_ ," Percy said. Poseidon laughed.

"Okay so what do you need help with?"

"Daphne got a letter today that one of the most vile people in this world of magic approached her dad to set up a marriage contract."

"A marriage contract?" Poseidon asked. "I didn't think anybody still used those."

"I didn't either. Her dad rejected it, but the man has threatened the Greengrasses, and Daphne is terrified that her dad will eventually give in."

"What can I do?" asked Poseidon. "You know the Ancient Laws prevent me from interfering."

"Remember how you told me before the first task that you would speak with reporters here and say that we come from a very prosperous family?"

Poseidon nodded. "I do."

"Can you do that now? If Malfoy, the guy who is threatening her family, finds out that I am a political and social rival to him, he should lose any ground he's standing on to threaten her family."

"What exactly do you want me to do?"

««‡»»

Daniel and Alison sat at the family table, enjoying a quiet morning. Daniel unfurled the Daily Prophet and scanned the articles. The third and final task of the tournament would be later that evening. The paper predicted that either Cedric Diggory or Viktor Krum would take home the trophy. Daniel snorted. It was just like the Prophet to use subtlety to slander someone like Percy Jackson. From what Daphne had told him, Percy Jackson was a force to be reckoned with. Daniel certainly remembered the paper the morning after the first task. Right on the cover was an image of the boy punching a dragon into submission. More recently, the paper had explained conjectured that he had used some form of mind magic-possibly even an Unforgivable-to complete the second task. The paper was a load of shit according to Daniel.

"Master Daniel," said Tiff, popping into the room. "There is someone at the door."

Daniel and Alison shared a glance. Who would be at the door? No one used the door. Everyone came through the floo. They stood up and followed Tiff to the foyer and to the door. Daniel opened the door and found himself looking at one of the most impressive appearing men he had ever seen in his life. The man stood quite tall with a trimmed beard. Daniel faintly smelled the ocean.

"Mr. Greengrass?" asked the man. _Must be a muggle_ , thought Daniel. Muggles wouldn't know to call him lord.

"I'm Daniel Greengrass," Daniel said. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

"My name is Poseidon," the man said. "I'm Percy Jackson's father."

Daniel frowned. Poseidon...the Prophet had mentioned briefly that Percy had been called by the merpeople 'Son of Poseidon.' "You're Poseidon?"

Poseidon grinned. "Ah, good, you've heard of me."

"I've studied the myths," Daniel said. "Who are you really?"

"I assure you that I am Poseidon," Poseidon said. "I swear on the River Styx." Thunder boomed over head.

Though Daniel had never heard of such a promise, the power he felt was certainly a credit to the man's credibility.

"I figured you would have trouble believing," Poseidon said. "So I came prepared."

Before Daniel could pull his wand out on the man, Poseidon placed his hand on Daniel's head, and immediately, his mind went blank. Poseidon pulled back after a minute, and when Daniel finally looked up, he paled, and dropped to his knees.

"Daniel?" asked Alison, concerned.

"Bow," Daniel ordered. "Bow to him."

"Who is he?" asked Alison, staring at Poseidon as she slowly got to her knees.

"This is Poseidon, God of the Water," Daniel said, looking up at Poseidon with awe and reverence. "He showed me everything. He showed me memories. It's really him. But how?"

"That is a rather long story," said Poseidon. "Today, I came with really just one purpose. You may both stand, of course."

Daniel and Alison got to their feet, though Alison was still quite wary of the man at the door.

"What can we do to help you, Lord Poseidon?" asked Daniel, eager to serve the god.

"I came on behalf of my son," Poseidon said. "You see, he is very much enamored by your daughter Daphne, and when she learned of the contract proposed by some man named Malby or something like that, Percy asked me to help."

Alison shook her head. "I'm sorry, your son is enamored with Daphne? Who exactly is your son?"

"Perseus Jackson," said Poseidon. "The Triwizard Tournament champion. I believe you know him as Percy."

Alison's eyes widened in shock. Daniel stepped to the side.

"I'm sorry, please come inside," Daniel said. Poseidon nodded and stepped into their home. He admired the paintings and sculptures. He looked at one in particular.

"Ah, the Doryphoros. I knew Polykleitos, you know," Poseidon said. Daniel's eyes, if possible, widened even further.

As Daniel led his wife and Poseidon to his study, the god pointed out sculptures in the home that he recognized and described some of the artists. To say that Daniel was on cloud nine would be an understatement. When they approached the study, Poseidon eyed the statue of Theseus.

"Theseus," Poseidon said softly. "He was a good man."

"He was your son, was he not?" asked Daniel. Poseidon nodded.

"He was. Some tried to claim that King Aegeus was his father, but it was me." Poseidon cocked his head. "I never realized the family resemblance."

Daniel lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean, milord?"

Poseidon shook his head. "Nevermind me."

Daniel shrugged and they entered the study.

"You said that Percy wants you to help us with Lord Malfoy?" asked Alison. "How?"

"Percy mentioned that this Lord...Malfoy? That Lord Malfoy wields tremendous power and status in your world. He said that Daphne was fearful you would eventually give in to his demands and sign a contract."

Daniel and Alison shared a look. Daniel coughed. "Well...we don't intend to, but it's true. Malfoy has a lot of power, and many allies. He can make our lives absolutely miserable unless we give in."

"I believe that is where I come in," Poseidon said. "If wealth and prestige are what matters to this Lord Malfoy, I would like to extend an alliance to your family."

"An alliance?" Daniel asked in shock.

"Between Perseus and your family," Poseidon nodded. "You see, Perseus is one of the most powerful beings in this world. He is the Champion of Olympus and he is the Prince of Atlantis. Should Malfoy ever threaten your family, I believe that an alliance with Perseus will provide all the ample protection you should require."

"And you're just offering up this alliance?" Alison asked. "What do you want in return?"

"I do not want anything," Poseidon said. "I'm not affected one way or another by this. But...I am still a father, and Perseus cares a great deal for your daughter. Percy wants Daphne protected from Malfoy and from his son in particular. If providing means to protect your daughter makes my son happy, I will do it."

"This is...this is a lot to take in," Daniel said. Poseidon nodded.

"I understand. Learning that the Greek gods are real and then learning all this is a lot, I get it," Poseidon said. "Just think about it, and when you have come to your decision, send a message to my son. He is waiting for your letter one way or another."

"Thank you, Lord Poseidon," said Daniel. "I...we'll contact your son as soon as we have made a decision."

Poseidon grinned. "Then I wish you both a good day. You might want to close your eyes."

Daniel and Alison looked at each other before closing their eyes, not wishing to disobey a god. The felt a backlash of power and heat, and when they opened their eyes, Poseidon was gone.

"Did he just apparate?" asked Alison. "We have anti-apparation wards in place!"

"I don't think that's what he did," Daniel said, "but even still, that amount of power is something I have never seen before. I doubt even Dumbledore has that power."

"What do you think about all this? Do you really believe that he's a god and that he's offering us protection?"

Daniel shook his head. "I believe he's a god. He showed me memories...he showed me things I'll never forget. I just don't know about this alliance. It would certainly give us political leverage over Malfoy, but Poseidon and his son are not part of the Wizengamot. I don't know how they can protect us there. Malfoy can still pass laws to cripple our business."

Alison grabbed the bottle of Firewhiskey and two shot glasses. "What does your heart tell you?"

Daniel poured himself a shot and downed it, feeling the steam pour from his ears. "I think I know what we need to do. For Daphne's well being. And for Astoria's as well."

Alison nodded, pouring herself a drink. "When did the world become so complicated?"

"I think it was always this complicated," said Daniel. "We're only just now opening our eyes to it all. For now, let's let Daphne and Percy focus on the third task. We can send him a letter once this tournament is all over. Hopefully, it's all done quickly, and we can have a quiet summer."

Somehow, both he and Alison doubted it would be a quiet summer.

««‡»»

"Is it ready?"

"Yes, milord."

"Good. I want Percy Jackson removed immediately," said Voldemort. "With him out of the way, we can truly focus on Potter."

"How will we take care of Potter?" asked Wormtail.

"Don't worry about that, Wormtail. That is up to Crouch. Your job is Percy Jackson. Do not fail me."

Wormtail bowed as low as his portly body would allow him. "Yes, milord."

Wormtail apparated away, presumably to carry out his lord's plan. Voldemort adjusted himself in his chair. Tonight, he would be reborn. Tonight, he would regain his power. Tonight, Hecate would finally bestow the Elder Wand to him. Tonight, he would kill Harry Potter.

 **A/N: Guess who's back! Admit it, some of you thought I had abandoned this story didn't you? It's okay, I get it. Well, I'm back now, and I have great news. 1) My pupper is cancer free! He had surgery to remove his tumor and the vet got everything before it could spread. 2) I finished my writing project for my Independent Study! Took nearly three months of work, but it's done! 3) I graduated college! I am now free to read and write, so hopefully the updates for this story will be MUCH more frequent than the past 6 months.**

 **As always, thank you so much to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys are amazing. I never expected much from this story, but coming back to it I found that we're over 500 favorites and 700 follows...I'm not crying, you're crying! Thank you guys so much for your support. Until next time, Happy New Year!**


	21. Chapter 21

Percy watched in livid frustration as the tournament directors drawled on and on about how important it was for the champion's to have their families come in attendance for the final task. Apparently, it was a tradition. Who exactly did the directors think they were going to have come for him? Thalia? How would they find her?

"Now, if you would all head outside of the castle, your families should all be on their way up from Hogsmeade!" said Bagman, his excitement doing nothing but fueling Percy's anger. Fleur, Cedric, and Viktor all headed outside, each one eager to see their families before they competed for the last time. Percy tried to hang back, but Bagman grabbed his shoulder. "Come on, Percy, let's go see your family!"

Percy glared at the man, and from the look on Bagman's face, Percy was quite certain he had wet himself. "I wasn't aware you could summon ghosts, Bagman."

Bagman choked and hurried away presumably to dry his pants. Harry and Hermione both stifled a laugh as the man ran away. Percy rolled his eyes.

"That man has about as much common sense as a tomato."

"I like tomatoes," said Hermione. Percy gave her a look.

"Fine. A pear."

"I like pears," said Harry. Percy whacked him on the head. "Ow! What was that for?"

Percy poked Harry in the shoulder. "Watch it, bud, or I'll dunk you in the lake." Percy pointed at the lake as they exited the castle. Harry looked at the cold water and shuddered.

"No thanks, I'm good."

"That's what I thought." Percy grabbed Harry and put him in a headlock, rubbing his knuckle into the young Gryffindor's already messy hair. Harry growled playfully and threw punches and elbows into Percy's side. To anybody else watching, it would have appeared as though the boys were actually fighting. However, neither of them were in any pain. Percy wasn't actually hurting Harry, and Harry's punches were...well, Percy seemed to remember bee stings hurting worse. Hermione could only smile with adoration for the two boys who had become like brothers to her. She was especially happy to see Harry smiling and laughing, carefree.

The last few years had been very difficult for Harry. Actually, Hermione thought about it, Harry's entire life had been difficult. Losing your parents would certainly be dreadful, but to grow up with awful relatives for a decade? Harry had never outright said what his relatives did to him, but Hermione could read between the lines. Then to make things worse, it seemed that each year, Voldemort was continuously doing something to regain his lost power, and Harry was always at the center of it. First year it had been the spirit of Voldemort that had possessed Professor Quirrell leading to the confrontation with the mirror. Hermione shuddered to think of what Harry had gone through having been the reason why Quirrell had died. Second year had been even worse. Ginny, too, had been possessed though unlike Quirrell, hers was unwillingly. Through Ginny, Voldemort had managed to release the basilisk which had nearly killed several students, Hermione herself included.

Hermione rubbed her arms as goosebumps rose up from her wrist to her shoulder. The very memory of looking into the basilisk's eyes through the reflection of her mirror would haunt her her entire life. Still, Harry had been the one to actually go and fight the bloody thing. He had almost died too, getting his arm impaled by one of the snake's fangs. If it hadn't been for Fawkes, Hermione knew that her awakening following her petrification would not have been a joyful celebration...she would have been mourning her friend at his funeral. She had hoped that their third year would be more peaceful, and it would have been...if it hadn't been for Sirius Black escaping Azkaban and terrorizing everyone for most of the year. They had all been so sure that Sirius was going after Harry in order to kill him. Thankfully, it turned out Sirius was innocent all along and had been going after the true traitor, Peter Pettigrew, rather than Harry. Sirius was still on the run, but he and Harry were still in contact with one another. Hermione knew Harry craved to have Sirius or Professor Lupin with him, them being such good friends with his parents, but with the price on Sirius' head and Professor Lupin's status as a werewolf, neither could take care of him. Come fourth year and the arrival of a certain mythological teenager.

"Ger off," Harry grumbled, between laughs. Percy grinned and released the poor boy. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Will you two ever grow up?"

"Hey, I'm tall already," Percy said, "ask this little guy."

"Little guy?" Harry growled again. He tackled Percy, knocking the boy to the ground. Hermione huffed, though she laughed as Percy quickly turned the tables and pinned Harry to the ground. "Okay, okay! I yield!"

Percy smiled and patted Harry's cheek, getting up and helping him up. "Good little lion man."

Harry glared at Percy and then glared at Hermione who was stifling a giggle. "Sure, laugh it up you two. One day, I'll win."

"Whatever you say, Harry," Percy laughed. His sour mood at Bagman forgotten until he looked ahead and saw the other champions greeting their parents and siblings. Percy frowned, feeling the pang of bitterness swell in his heart at the memory of his mom and Paul. Knowing that they were safe in Elysium was a small comfort. He looked around as Bagman and the heads of schools introduced themselves to the families when he spotted a familiar group. Percy smiled fondly at the group.

"Come on guys," Percy said to Harry and Hermione. The two of them had taken a step back, giving Percy space. They shared a glance before smiling at him. "You're my family now, too."

Percy led them over to the odd group that stood off to the side of the other families. His father, instead of wearing his Hawaiian shirt and khaki shorts, actually wore a set of dress robes. Percy was rather impressed that his father actually owned anything besides his normal clothes. Standing beside Poseidon were five figures that Percy couldn't help but smile fondly at.

"Percy!" shouted the biggest of the group. The man lumbered towards Percy and picked him up in a massive hug. Percy laughed and hugged him back.

"Tyson! I've missed ya, buddy!"

Tyson set Percy down and grinned.

"Did you like my gift?"

Percy held up his wrist where his watch was and nodded. "It's the best present ever, Ty. Thank you so much."

Tyson grinned and looked at Harry and Hermione. "Friends?"

Percy smiled and nodded again. "Tyson, this is Harry and Hermione. They are two of the best friends I've made since coming here. Guys, this is Tyson, my brother."

Harry and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. "Your brother?"

"Percy is the best big brother," Tyson said happily. "He saved me from Baby Cakes."

The Gryffindors gave Percy an odd look to which Percy just laughed. "A couple years ago, Tyson and I were attacked at school by some giants, remember I told you that, Harry? They tried to kill us with dodgeballs. One of the giants called himself Baby Cakes."

"So Tyson is really your brother?" asked Hermione, looking between the two of them trying to find the resemblance. There was something...off about Tyson. His face in particular.

"Half-brother," Percy said, "but my brother nevertheless." Percy patted Tyson's shoulder and then looked at the others.

"Hey Thals, Lady Artemis," Percy said, bowing to Artemis. Hermione and Harry quickly followed his lead. Artemis nodded in appreciation, and Thalia gave Percy a hug.

"Chiron told us all to come and support you," she said. "Tyson was the most excited to come."

Percy smiled again at his brother, a part of him feeling comforted by Tyson's eagerness to see him. He knew that he had been quit distant the last year, and he hadn't realized how much he had missed his brother until now. "Well thank you all for coming."

"We wouldn't miss it for anything," said the man wearing the beanie, sweat pants, and leaning on crutches. Percy gave a weak smile.

"I'm sorry for...you know..."

The man waved his hand, "no big deal, Perce. It's all in the past."

Percy breathed in relief. He turned to Harry and Hermione. "Guys, this is my oldest friend, Grover. He was the one that actually led me to Camp where I learned I was a demigod."

The Gryffindors smiled and greeted Grover politely. Percy turned to the last figure, sitting in his wheelchair. "Gramps."

Chiron rolled his eyes. "Don't be a sap."

"What?" Percy asked, with mock hurt. "It's been so long since I've seen you!"

"I guess you forgot this morning's session when you tripped and hit your head," Chiron said. "Black out a bit there did you?"

Percy blushed as Poseidon shook his head and patted Percy's shoulder. "And here I thought we taught you better."

"We can always have another session today," grinned Artemis. Percy's blush faded to a horrified pale.

"No thank you."

Artemis grinned, but it was quickly replaced with her stoic expression as she looked behind Percy. They all turned to see Dumbledore and the other heads as well as Bagman approaching them. Harry and Hermione stepped off to the side as this was an opportunity for the tournament heads to meet Percy's family.

"You are Percy's father, I presume?" asked Dumbledore, holding out a hand to Poseidon. The two shared a brief look and an imperceptible nod.

"I am," Poseidon said, shaking Dumbledore's hand. The two understood that now was not the time to out Dumbledore as Thanatos. Not yet at least. Poseidon turned to the others.

"Hello, Mr. Jackson," said Bagman, his cheerful self garnering a glare and twitch from both Artemis and Thalia, though he didn't look at them. "My name is Ludo Bagman, I am the head of the tournament this year. It has been quite a journey watching your son compete!"

"I'm sure," Poseidon said. "It was pleasant reading your country's journalists insult and ridicule my son over the way he competed."

Bagman paled, and spluttered, so Dumbledore interjected. "These are the other heads of the tournament. Professor Karkaroff from Durmstrang in Bulgaria, and Madame Maxime from Beauxbatons in France."

Poseidon nodded to each of the other headmasters. Karkaroff stared at Poseidon as though trying to figure out if the man posed him any danger. Ultimately, the vile headmaster held out a hand to the Olympian god.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Jackson," Karkaroff said. "I must admit, on behalf of this country's paper, that no one was expecting your family to be so...prestigious."

Percy held back a smirk. The previous week, the Daily Prophet had released a rather brilliant article on the Jackson 'family.' Though he had told Percy months earlier that he would go to the press, it wasn't until he had spoken with the Greengrass parents that he had gone through with it. The Prophet had explained that the Jackson's were practically American royalty. They held enormous wealth and owned several businesses in both the magical and muggle realms making them the wealthiest family there. Percy had tried in vain to stop himself from laughing when the article had mentioned that one of Percy's uncles ran the Empire State Building while the other ran literal underground businesses. His own father was listed as owning several sea businesses such as resorts, cruises, and fishing lines. Percy doubted his father had lied about anything, magical Britain was just hell-bent on refusing to accept the existence of the Greek pantheon. The main downside to the article had been the numerous letters sent to Percy from all over Europe with betrothal contracts, business inquiries, and even one package that had contained a rather risque photograph of a woman from Italy. Daphne had quickly burned the photo much to the amusement of their friends.

Now, though, the people at Hogwarts treated Percy with a level of anxious fear as though their new knowledge of his wealth would somehow make him target them the way Malfoy did. Come to think of it, Percy hadn't seen much of Draco Malibou since the article came out. Presumably, he was off licking his wounds that his family would no longer have the financial upper ground to coerce the Greengrass family into signing a contract. Percy shook his head to clear his musings and looked at his dad who shook Karkaroff's hand.

"And I must say, on behalf of my family, that I expected the headmaster of your school to be more...imposing," Poseidon said, staring the ex-Death Eater in the eyes. Karkaroff sneered and took back his hand. It seemed that the frightful man still had some fight in him. "Now, I believe that Percy has the day to show us around this school and the grounds?"

"You are correct!" said Bagman. "Mr. Jackson, we are all very impressed with how well your son has been doing. Especially since this is his first year at Hogwarts-"

"Mr. Bagman, I believe that you must go and prepare for the final task?" asked Dumbledore. Bagman nodded enthusiastically.

"Right so, Dumbledore," Bagman said. "I must be off. A pleasure to meet the Jackson family." Bagman rushed off and Karkaroff and Madame Maxime followed behind him. Dumbledore turned to Percy and his family.

"Lady Artemis, miss Grace," he said, bowing to the two women. Artemis stared at the god of death, unimpressed. Thalia maintained a stoic expression. "I'm afraid that I have my own work to do before the task, but I hope you all enjoy your day."

When he left, Percy turned to his family. "Well, I guess I'm supposed to show you all around the castle. Lady Artemis, please don't turn any of the males into jackalopes."

Artemis grinned. "I cannot promise anything, Perseus."

Harry gulped loudly to which Hermione snickered. Thalia gave Harry a grin. Percy just rolled his eyes. "I guess that's the best answer I'll get."

"Show us around the castle," Poseidon said. Percy nodded and waved for them to follow him up the steps towards the Grand Entrance. "It is quite an impressive structure...for mortals."

Artemis nodded. "Nearly as impressive as the statue of me on Delos."

"I had no idea you were so egocentric," said Percy. Harry and Hermione looked at each other wide-eyed at how casual Percy and Artemis were talking.

"Percy is very special," said Grover from beside them. "He is the only male Artemis has ever liked." His tone was almost wistful, as though Grover were jealous of his friend.

"I'm simply trying to impersonate you," Artemis said back to Percy, throwing a quick punch at his side. Percy caught the fist and spun her back. Artemis grinned. "You're maintaining your training. Good."

It was an odd sight for Harry and Hermione, seeing Percy fighting a twelve year old. Even if said twelve year old was a millenias old goddess. The looked at Grover who was hobbling along on his crutches, though it didn't seem like he was taking any sort of pressure off of his legs.

"Aren't you a satyr?" asked Harry. Grover turned to them sharply.

"Percy told you?"

Harry nodded. "He doesn't talk about his past much, but he's mentioned you a few times. Mostly to Daphne. Daphne just tells us some things. The less-personal things."

"Daphne..." Grover murmured. "She's the girl Percy is all crazy about?"

Hermione laughed. "Oh yes. You should see them together. It really is quite sweet."

"We'll see about this," Grover said haughtily. "I won't let just anybody be with Perce."

"You're very protective of him," Hermione said. It wasn't a question.

"Grover and I have an emphatic link," Percy said, joining their conversation and giving his Gryffindor friends a playful glare. "I see you guys are talking about me behind my back?"

"Technically, you are to the side," Thalia offered. "So they aren't actually talking behind your back."

Percy waved his hand and shot a stream of water at Thalia. Thalia sputtered and tackled Percy to the ground. The group around them watched in amusement as the cousins tussled, though Harry and Hermione were a bit surprised when they threw actual punches and elbows. It looked...painful. Yet, Grover, Tyson, Poseidon, Chiron, and Artemis didn't seem to care.

"Mr. Jackson," came the stern voice of Professor McGonagall. "Please refrain from such...behavior...within the school halls."

Percy laughed as he stood up, offering Thalia a hand. "I won that, by the way."

"No way!" Thalia growled. "I completely won."

"Thalia won," said Artemis. "She is a huntress. We never lose."

Percy rolled his eyes and motioned to his family. "Professor, this is my family. My best friend Grover, my step-brother Tyson, my cousins Thalia and Artemis, and my dad."

McGonagall's eyes widened in shock as she looked at Percy's father and cousin. She seemed flustered, unsure if she should bow or shake their hands or what. She had never been in the presence of a god before-that she knew of. Poseidon stepped forward and offered a hand.

"A pleasure, Minerva. Although, I may have a slight disagreement with your namesake," Poseidon said with a grin. McGonagall took his hand slowly.

"You know my name?"

"We know quite a bit," Poseidon said.

"What he means is that the gods can see your memories and everything," Percy said.

McGonagall nodded. "It is an honor to have you in our school, Lord Poseidon. And you as well, Lady Artemis." Artemis bowed. "Mr. Jackson, I am to tell you that you and your family should head into the Great Hall for lunch before you spend the afternoon showing them around. The third task will be held down at the Quidditch pitch tonight after dinner."

Percy nodded his thanks as the professor left.

"She seems odd," said Poseidon.

"She would have made a powerful huntress," Artemis said wistfully. "I regret that we do not return to Europe more often."

"Where is the Great Hall, Perce?" asked Grover, excited to begin eating.

"Right through there," Percy said, pointing at the large doors off to the side.

"We'll join you guys later," said Hermione. "We need to go study, because not all of us are exempt from tests."

They all said their goodbyes to Harry and Hermione, and entered the Great Hall. Thalia looked up at the faux sky and whistled in appreciation.

"The ceiling is enchanted to match whatever the sky looks like outside," Percy said. "At night, they have hundreds and hundreds of candles lighting the place up."

"It is very impressive," said Poseidon.

"It's very...old style," Thalia said.

"That's this entire world," Percy said, as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "They're very traditional and old school. Thals, they use stupid marriage contracts still."

Thalia snorted. "Marriage contracts? Seriously?"

"Oh, he's serious," Poseidon said. "Percy had me stop his girlfriend's parents from signing a marriage contract with some idiot family."

"Someone was forcing a young woman's family into signing a contract?" asked Artemis. Her silver eyes blazed in fury.

"He used his wealth to threaten them," Percy said. "His son is a horrible person. Seems to think that all the women in this school belong to him because of his father's wealth."

Artemis sneered. "Point this _boy_ out to me. I'm sure he'd make a fun practice target for my hunters." Thalia nodded eagerly.

"I'd rather you didn't," Percy laughed. "He definitely deserves it, but the repercussions would be severe for everyone here. His dad essentially runs the Board of Governors of this school. They are in charge of all the decisions."

"That's crazy," Grover said. "Where's the food? Do they have tacos here?"

Magically, plates appeared before each of them. In the center of the table, large platters covered in various foods appeared. Grover's eyes widened, and his stomach growled audibly. "I think I'm in love with magic."

Percy watched as his family began grabbing food and putting it on their plates. Even Poseidon and Artemis picked out food, though as gods, they didn't really need it. They fed on ambrosia not on kidney pie or tacos. Percy looked around the hall before he began to eat. A few students were filing into the Great Hall. The other champions were already seated at their tables with their families. Grover and Tyson seemed to be in a competition to see who could scarf down the most food in the least amount of time.

"You need to eat, Percy," said Poseidon, eyeing a piece of fish distastefully. Percy grabbed a piece of meat and some vegetables. He thought for a moment before cutting a piece of the meat off and placing it on Poseidon's plate.

"I know it's not exactly an offering, but there you go," Percy said. Poseidon just laughed.

"It is alright, I'll let it pass this time."

Thalia just shrugged at Artemis who rolled her eyes. Artemis didn't require her hunters to constantly make sacrifices to her as she was always with them. More students began filing into the Great Hall. Percy knew that his Gryffindor friends wouldn't be joining them. Hermione had created an impressive study schedule for them which involved Dobby bringing them snacks as they studied in the common room. Daphne and Tracey had just managed to get out of getting their own study schedule.

"This food is absolutely delicious," Grover said, stuffing his mouth with more food. Percy thought that Ron would be jealous of Grover's eating habits. Tyson, to his credit, seemed to have slowed down. "Percy you are so lucky to be at this school."

"I don't know about lucky," Percy said, "this place is weird. They've got this weird, cranky old man that works as the caretaker for the school, and he loves the idea of torturing kids for breaking the rules."

"We had harpies," Thalia said. "I think harpies are worse."

"They're worse," Percy nodded, "but this guy is still creepy. I think he's into all that weird kinky stuff."

"How do you know about weird kinky stuff, Seaweed Brain?" Thalia asked, raising an eyebrow.

Percy glanced at Artemis who was eyeing him carefully and then coughed. "I learned things in the Hermes cabin I'll never forget."

"I'm sure," Thalia laughed.

"So, Percy," Poseidon said, changing the subject. "Tell me about the last task."

"It's a maze from what I know," Percy said, after finally taking a bite of his food. "None of the points we have really matter, they just affect the order we go in. I think we just have to find the trophy and that's it."

"That's it?" asked Artemis. "That's not a challenge."

"I think they're putting monsters into the maze too," Percy shrugged. "Either way, can't be any worse than the Labyrinth."

"Nothing would be that bad," Grover agreed, shivering at the memory of the monsters pouring out from ground into the camp.

"Are you finally done eating?" Percy asked his friend. Grover stuffed one more apple in his mouth before nodding.

"Ermm buun," Grover said, his mouth full. Thalia scrunched up her nose.

"Pleasant."

Grover wiped his mouth. "I'm done. Let's go see this castle."

Percy and his family stood up and he led them out of the Great Hall, ignoring the stares people were giving them. Thalia glared at one boy who was staring at her with open lust.

"These people are not subtle at all."

"Subtlety is a lost art in the magical world apparently," Percy nodded.

"I should actually go back and help Hagrid with tonight's task," said Chiron.

"You sure?" Percy asked. Chiron nodded.

"Can't say what will happen, but we need to get ready."

Percy frowned, but they all said goodbye to the centaur, and with that, Percy led his family through the school, taking them down to the dungeons first and showing them the potions lab and then back up for the kitchens. They all had to restrain Grover from trying to break into the kitchens, but Percy had been smart and not told them how to get past the painting. He took them upstairs, though he had to explain the moving staircases to them when he was forced to take them up a different way than they had come down. Tyson had gotten his leg stuck in a trick stair, and after that, walked directly behind Percy to avoid doing so again. With the students all at lunch, the hallways were relatively empty which suited them all just fine. Percy took them up the stairs to the Gryffindor common room, but stopped. He explained that the houses were much like the cabins at Camp, and that if you weren't part of a house, you weren't supposed to go into their cabin without permission from the head of house. Poseidon and Artemis, who had already been there too long, took their leave and flashed out of the castle to return to their godly duties. Thalia promised Artemis before she left that she would return as soon as the final task was finished.

"This place really is cool," Thalia said as Percy led them back down the stairs to the Grand Entry. The time had flown by, students had come and gone, and soon it would be dinner. "Imagine if we had a castle at Camp."

"I think the trick steps and moving stairs would make it very hard to attack," Grover said, shoving Tyson, who had been following too close behind him, away.

"Well well well! What do we have here?" came a voice from above. Thalia pulled out her can of mace, and her spear appeared in hand. Percy, too, uncapped his pen and held Anaklusmos out towards the voice. Grover simply cowered behind Tyson who squared his shoulders, ready to spring into action. "Little children pointing pointy points at Peeves?" The ghost cackled.

"You must be the poltergeist," Percy said, putting his sword away. "I don't think we've met before."

Thalia didn't put her spear away. "Who the hell are you? What are you?"

"She doesn't know Peeves?" Peeves fake gasped. "Not English. Not a witch. Not from Hogwarts. My, oh, my!"

"He's a poltergeist," Percy said, not taking his eyes off the ghost. "He's a ghost that can actually affect the physical world. Apparently this one in particular is quite the prankster."

"He knows me! Dragonbane knows me!" Peeves laughed, and pulled out a water balloon. He threw the balloon at Percy, giggling like mad in anticipation of drenching another student. Then the balloon flew back and smashed into him. Peeves gaped at Percy. "No one has ever soaked me before."

Percy pulled out his necklace, letting it hang in front of his shirt. The light of Zeus illuminated the ghost much better than the torches in the hallways. Water dripped off the ghost...as well as through the ghost. Thalia scrunched up her nose in disgust. It was not a pleasant sight. Peeves looked at the charm then back at Percy, the ghost's eyes filled with fear. "Leave us alone, Peeves."

Peeves felt his ethereal body convulse as a powerful force ripped through him. He wanted to stay and torment them more, but something forced him away. He said nothing, oddly for him, as his body was pulled away and into the walls. Thalia, Grover, and Tyson all stared at Percy. Percy just smirked. "Hades placed something in this necklace to give me minimal control over the dead. I've never actually used it until now."

"Only you, Kelp Head," Thalia shook her head. "I wonder why he didn't know who we were. Aren't ghosts just spirits that have escaped the Underworld?"

"I-"

"That was amazing!" Tracey said, cutting Percy off. They all turned to find Tracey and Daphne approaching them, their eyes wide having seen Percy tell the poltergeist off. "No one except the Bloody Baron has ever been able to control Peeves!"

"The Bloody Baron?" Grover whispered, his eyes wide, and his crutches shaking in fear.

"It's okay, Grover," Tyson said. "I protect you."

"The Bloody Baron is another ghost," Percy said, rolling his eyes. "He's not a poltergeist I don't think."

Daphne nodded. "He's not. Hi, Thalia."

Thalia smiled at the blonde girl. "Hey, Daphne, it's nice to see you again. Hey, Tracey."

"You guys know each other?" asked Grover, still hiding behind Tyson as though the Bloody Baron were going to appear at any moment. Percy started bumbling.

"Daphne is Percy's girlfriend," Tracey said, grinning broadly at Percy and Daphne's blush. Thalia just smirked at her cousin and held her fist out to Tracey for a fistbump. Tracey returned it without looking. Percy glared at the two of them. They would be a dangerous pair.

"Oh!" Grover said, stepping away from Tyson. "You're _that_ Daphne! I'm Grover Underwood." Grover held his hand out to the girl.

Daphne took it hesitantly. "Who are you exactly?"

"I'm Percy's best friend," Grover said with a bright smile.

"Wait," Daphne said slowly. "Are you the satyr?"

Grover's eyes widened, and he looked at Percy, putting a hand on his chest. "You told her about little old me?"

Percy rolled his eyes.

Grover laughed. "Okay, well yes, I'm a satyr. I'm hiding my legs right now which is why I have the crutches."

"Goatboy also has horns," Tyson said. Grover smacked him.

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry Goatboy."

"Daphne, Tracey," Percy said, before Grover could hit Tyson again, "Grover is the one who helped take me to my summer camp for the first time. And Tyson, here, is my brother."

The girls' eyes bugged out. "You're brother?"

"Half-brother," Percy shrugged.

"Poseidon is my dad," Tyson said with a big smile.

"You're a demigod?" Tracey asked. Thalia snorted, and Percy and Grover just smiled. Tyson shook his head.

"No. I'm a cyclops."

Tracey and Daphne blinked.

Thalia snapped her fingers and the thick layer of mist surrounding Tyson's head dissolved revealing he only had one eye. Daphne and Tracey froze where they stood. Percy put an arm around Tyson. "Don't worry guys, Tyson is really great."

"Even Annabeth liked him," Thalia said. "Which is saying a lot considering how she felt about cyclops."

"What do you mean?" asked Tracey.

Thalia shook her head. "Another time."

Percy nodded in agreement.

"Okay," Daphne said, "but what did you mean earlier by ' _that_ Daphne'?"

"Oh yes," Grover nodded. "The nymphs around here all told me all about you and Percy. They like to gossip a lot."

"Nymphs?" Daphne and Tracey asked at the same time.

Percy groaned. "Of course. I should have known they'd be watching."

"What are nymphs?" asked Tracey. "Like fairies?"

"They're not fairies," Grover shook his head. "They're spirits. Everything in nature has a spirit. Well...most things at least. Every tree, every lake, every stream, river, creek. That sort of stuff."

"So..." Tracey said slowly, "the Black Lake has a nymph?"

"Yes," Grover nodded. "She's very nice actually."

Percy patted Grover's back. "Grover is very humble, but what he hasn't told you is that he is Lord of the Wild."

Grover blushed.

"What does that mean?" Daphne asked.

"You ever heard of the god Pan?" Thalia asked. Daphne hesitated, trying to remember everything her father had taught her about the Greek pantheon, but Tracey just shook her head no emphatically.

"Pan was the god of nature," Grover said sadly.

"'Was'?" Tracey asked. "What happened?"

"Pan died," Tyson said softly. "People forget nature. People forget Pan. Pan died."

Grover nodded. "Basically, what he said."

"So now Grover here is Pan's successor," Percy said. "Grover is the new Lord of the Wild meaning all of nature obeys him."

Tracey and Daphne's eyes widened. "That's amazing!"

Grover blushed again. "T-thank you."

"Alright, come on, Grover," Thalia said, pulling Grover behind her. "It's dinner time, and I am starving."

"You want to join us?" Percy asked the girls. They looked at each other.

"At the Gryffindor table?" Daphne asked. Percy nodded, smiling.

"Please, Daphne and Tracey?" Tyson asked. The large cyclops pouted a lip at the two girls who giggled and nodded.

"Okay fine," Daphne said. "But only for you, Tyson."

Tyson clapped happily and hurried after Thalia and Grover. Percy just smiled at his brother as they followed him.

"You never told me you had a brother," Daphne said, smacking Percy's arm. Percy just shrugged.  
"It didn't come up. I haven't really spoken to him much since...well, since camp. He lives down in Atlantis and has been helping my dad rebuild it. He's also the general of my dad's cyclops army."

"He's a general?" Tracey asked incredulously. "He's like a giant teddy bear! A giant teddy bear with one eye."

"You should see him when he has a stick," Percy said. "He's a very strong fighter."

They walked behind the others, occasionally running into some students who stared at the strange group. While it had become school gossip that Percy and Daphne were together, many believed it was just Draco's immature whining. Seeing the two together in the halls, talking and smiling was certainly an odd sight. Not to mention the other three kids that were clearly not from Hogwarts.

"Are you sure about us sitting with you?" Daphne asked as they approached the Great Hall. "It's like announcing to the world that we're together."

"And that's bad because...?"

"What if someone tries to stop us?"

Percy stopped and pulled Daphne into a hug. "Daph, you are a powerful witch, and I'm the son of Poseidon. I say let them try. It'll only end badly for them."

Daphne rested her head on his shoulder until Tracey squealed. The other three ahead of them stopped and turned back as Percy and Daphne let go, blushing. Daphne flicked Tracey's ear. "Thanks for that."

"You guys are just so cute together," Tracey smiled.

Percy made eye contact with Thalia and nodded his head slightly in Tracey's direction. A second later, Tracey shrieked and jumped in the air, holding her bum. "What the hell was that?"

"Language, Miss Davis," said Professor McGonagall, passing them and heading into the Great Hall. Tracey blushed and apologized before glaring at Percy.

"What did you do?"

Percy just held his hands out. "Woah, woah, I didn't do anything!"

Tracey glared and pulled her wand out on him. Thalia and Grover started cracking up. Tracey looked at them confused.

"That was me, I'm sorry," Thalia laughed.

"What did you do?" Tracey asked, more shocked than angry.

Thalia held her hand out and pulsated electricity between her fingers. Daphne smacked her head.

"Oh, that's right!"

Tracey looked at her. Daphne pointed at Thalia's hand. "Remember the cave? Thalia is the daughter of Zeus. Zeus is the god of the sky and of lightning. She can control electricity just like Percy can control water."

Thalia smiled and nodded, "Good memory."

"Alright, let's eat, I am dying," Grover said. "Do you think they'll have tacos?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "If we don't go in now, Grover will eat the castle."

"Don't tempt me, Perce."

««‡»»

Percy shrugged off his robe. He refused to wear the awkward thing for the final task. The other three champions eyed his bright orange shirt distastefully. Percy didn't care. It had taken all the courage he could muster to put his old camp shirt on. If Hecate was right, and this was to be his final task ever, Percy would go out honoring his friends and family that had perished because of treachery. It was ironic that Percy would die a similar way.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ludo Bagman's voice rose above the cheering of the crowd. "Since Barty Crouch is ill and could not attend, we are very pleased to announce that Minister Cornelius Fudge will be stepping in as the fifth judge for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament!"

There came a mixed applause. Percy stared at the minister. He was a portly man who looked like an even bigger idiot than Dionysus. Actually, Percy would rather spend time with Dionysus than with this Fudge person.

"Thank you Minister Fudge for coming on such short notice," Bagman said. "Now, for the final task, our four champions will be going into a maze! They will each enter in the order by which they are currently ranked on points. Cedric Diggory will go in first. Then after a few minutes, Percy Jackson will enter followed immediately by Viktor Krum. Fleur Delacour will enter last. The first champion to reach the end of the maze and lift the Triwizard trophy will be crowned winner!"

Bagman left his podium and approached the champions. He smiled at them all though he looked at Percy's shirt oddly. "Are you all prepared for the final task?"

"Oui, we are ready," Fleur nodded. The others nodded as well. Bagman grinned and clasped his hands together.

"Excellent! When you hear the cannon, Cedric you enter first. Then you'll each enter in your respective order when you hear the cannon blast. Make sense?" They nodded. "Excellent! Good luck, champions!"

Cedric wiped sweat off of his forehead and pulled his wand out, ready for the cannon to fire. He did not have to wait long. The moment he heard the sound, he hurried into the maze, seemingly ready to confront whatever danger lay ahead of him. Viktor and Fleur pulled their wands out as well, but Percy simply pulled out his pen and made sure that his watch and leather bands were tight on his wrists. He also put a hand on his chest to make sure his amulet was still there.

"You are not using vand?" asked Viktor. "Are you sure you are ready?"

Percy nodded. "I don't need a wand."

"Are we allowed to bring anyzing in wiz us?" asked Fleur. Bagman eyed the pen in Percy's hand.

"We never said you couldn't take anything into the maze, so I think he is within his rights to bring a pen," Bagman said. The cannon blasted. "Ah, off you go, Percy. Good luck."

Percy ignored him and walked into the maze. He was immediately confronted by three choices. He could either go straight or to either side. Percy looked at the grass on the ground. Cedric had gone to the left. Percy shrugged and went to the right. The path twisted and turned as he continued forward. The cannon blasted a third time signaling Viktor's arrival in the maze. Several minutes later, the cannon blasted one final time as Fleur entered. Percy forgot about the other champions and focused on where he was going. Occasionally he was confronted with another choice, but he always stuck to the right. He figured that eventually he would make it all the way around the edge of the maze. If the maze led to the opposite side, then he shouldn't really have a problem. However, if it ended somewhere in the middle, that would be a different story.

The air was humid and warm despite the sun having gone down already. The only light came from the torches up in the stands where Percy's friends and family sat and watched. Daphne appeared in his mind. Her blond hair, smelling of sweet berries, filled his senses. She had kissed him before he had gone to meet the other champions. Those that had been watching them had gasped in shock, seeing the Ice Queen of Slytherin kissing a boy in public. She had made him promise he would be careful. Percy had promised, and felt a twang of guilt. He hadn't sworn on the Styx. In an odd, twisted sort of way, he felt like he was Kronos. Making an empty promise. He would be careful, but Percy was not so blind as to believe he would survive this final task. Somewhere deep in this maze was his final task. Something here had been specifically chosen by Hecate to kill him. Percy only hoped that he would die a hero's death and be honored into the halls of Elysium when the night was over. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts of Daphne away to focus on the task ahead of him.

As he rounded the corner, he saw the flash and glow of fire on the hedges around him. Percy pulled out his pen, ready to face whatever monster was waiting for him. He turned the corner and stared at the most horrendous looking monster he had ever seen. It had long, scorpion-like legs, no head, and had a scorpion-like tail. The flashing glow had come from fire which the monster apparently shot out of its tail. Percy twisted his watch, allowing his shield to spring out, and uncapped Anaklusmos. The noise from both alerted the headless monster to his presence and it immediately fired a blast of fire at him. Percy dodged the blast and rushed forward. He batted the stub that seemed to be where the monster's head should be away and thrust his sword directly into its thorax.

The monster let out a shriek as the sword passed through its skin. It was certainly a tough monster, the sword only imbedding itself a foot in. Percy put a foot on the monster and pulled his sword out before slashing the tail before it could fire another blast at him. The tail did not come off cleanly, but rather hung limp from the tendons that Anaklusmos did not cut through. The monster stumbled away from Percy, unsure of how to attack now that it had lost its tail. Percy backed away, keeping his back to the hedge, and made for the next passage. The monster let him leave.

"What the Hades was that?" Percy mumbled to himself. He had never seen such a thing before. Thank the gods that Kronos hadn't employed any of those in his army. Monsters shooting fire was the last thing they needed. Percy turned his shield back into a watch but kept Anaklusmos out. The air around him seemed to grow colder and colder, and the light from the torches dimmed until it was practically pitch black around him. Percy reached into his shirt and pulled out his amulet. The light of Zeus illuminated the maze around him. Something truly evil waited for him around the next bend. Percy stepped forward, holding Anaklusmos out ahead of him.

"Ah, grandson," came a deep voice just beyond the reach of his amulet's light. "I have been waiting for you."

Percy's eyes widened. No. It couldn't be. It was impossible!

"Don't be scared," the voice said, stepping forward and into the light. "We all have an expiration date."

Percy pulled his watch out. "You're dead."

"I feel very much alive," the figure said, a cold sneer on his face.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you again, Kronos," Percy spat. The rushed forward, thrusting his sword into Kronos' chest. The titan didn't move, eyes wide in surprise at Percy's speed and reaction. The sword passed right through him. Kronos' body shimmered as though it were a reflection. Percy stumbled backwards, unsure of himself.

"Guess it'll be harder for you," Kronos grinned. Percy capped Anaklusmos and returned the pen to his pocket. "Unarmed? My how you have grown in your arrogance, grandson."

"I have something special for you," Percy said, pulling on his leather band. His Stygian iron trident materialized in his hand. Kronos looked uncertain. Percy attacked him, leaping in the air and swinging his body creating momentum behind his strike. The trident swung through the air and went straight for Kronos' heart. Once again, the titan did nothing but watch in shock, but this time the weapon connected. Percy expected to see ichor, but was surprised when Kronos exploded into dust.

"That wasn't Kronos," Percy murmured to himself. "What was that?" The maze was proving to be very strange and full of the oddest monsters. What sort of monster could shift its appearance like that? Percy shivered, feeling his fear run along his spine. He shook it off. He had killed whatever monster that had been. He pressed his trident back into his wrist until it turned into the leather band. He walked forward to the next passage. The maze continued on, breaking off and forking occasionally, and each time it did so, Percy kept to the right. A scream tore through the night.

Percy uncapped Anaklusmos and turned towards the scream. A moment later, red sparks shot up into the sky. Fleur had left the maze. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. What had caused her to scream like that? He gripped his sword tighter and kept moving forward, hoping that he didn't encounter whatever it had been to scare the French champion into forfeiting. Another scream ripped through the maze. This time it was a man's scream. Krum or Cedric. Percy waited but no sparks came. The scream continued. Percy snarled and slashed the hedge beside him. He ran towards the sound of the scream, hacking whatever hedge confronted him.

The scream grew louder, and Percy hacked the last hedge in front of him. He lept into the clearing before him and stared in shock. Cedric was curled up on the ground, screaming in pain. Above him stood Viktor Krum, pointing his wand at Cedric.

"Hey!" Percy shouted. Krum looked at him. His eyes were glazed over. Percy frowned. Something was wrong. Krum rose his wand to try and attack Percy, but Percy was too quick. His mind raced back to the Underworld where he had learned ancient magic. He closed his eyes as he spun to the side, avoiding Krum's spell, and thought of the spell Medea had taught him. He opened his eyes and threw his hand towards Krum. An orange light erupted from his hand and struck Krum in the chest. The Bulgarian champion's eyes rolled back in his skull, and he fell backwards onto the ground.

Percy walked over to Cedric and knelt down beside him. "Cedric. Cedric! Can you talk?"

Cedric gasped as the pain faded from excruciating to simply painful. "I...I think so. What the hell happened to Krum? He started using the Cruciatus on me!"

"I'm not sure," Percy frowned. "His eyes were glazed over."

"You think someone Imperioused him?" Cedric asked, stretching his legs out, wincing in pain as he moved.

"Probably," Percy said. "We should send up some sparks. I don't think he'll be competing anymore."

"I don't think I can either," Cedric said. "It hurts to just move my fingers."

"Can you shoot up sparks?" Percy asked. Cedric nodded and held up his wand with tremendous effort. He fired off a weak, red spark. A moment later the hedges rustled and Hagrid stepped into the clearing.

"Merlin," he said, "wha' happened?"

"We think Krum was Imperioused," Percy said. "He was casting the Cruciatus on Cedric."

"Can ya move, Diggory?"

Cedric nodded. "Slowly."

"Aye, let's get ya both out of here," Hagrid said, picking up Krum's limp body as though he were a bag of chips, and helping Cedric up on his feet. "Are ya good, Percy?"

Percy nodded. "I'm good."

"A'right," Hagrid nodded. "Be careful out there."

"Will do," Percy said, before turning and looking for another passage. He had completely lost track of where he was. The hedges he had hacked through had closed in behind him. He wasn't even sure which direction he had come from. Everything looked the same. Percy sighed and looked at the three paths that led to the clearing. Two of them had footsteps leading towards where he was. The third was clean. Logic said that that was the path both Krum and Cedric had intended to follow. Percy gripped Anaklusmos even tighter as he headed down the path.

It was quiet. Too quiet. There were no sounds of insects mating. No sounds of frogs croaking. Percy couldn't even hear the wind. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart. The path seemed to wind this way and that, no longer a path of sharp angles and long, straight passages. Percy held the light of Zeus ahead of him, dispelling the shadows that blocked his path. A faint glow came from further up the passage he was in. Percy took a deep breath, wondering which sort of monster he would be confronting this time. With his luck, it was be a drakon.

It wasn't a drakon. Between the light of two torches, sat a stone-like creature with the body of a lion and the head of a woman. Percy recognized her immediately. "You were supposed to be in the Labyrinth."

The Sphinx looked up. "Perseus Jackson."

"You remember me," Percy said.

"I remember everyone that answers my questions," the Sphinx said.

"How are you here?"

"Where did you expect me to be?"

"In the Labyrinth," Percy said again. "Dead, I guess."

The Sphinx licked her paw. It was an unnerving sight. "The Labyrinth collapsed. It's gone. Why would I stay there?"

Percy rolled his eyes. "Are you going to let me through?"

"You know the rules, demigod," the Sphinx said. "You must first answer my question."

"I already did," Percy said. "Twice."

The Sphinx blinked. Then she laughed. "My, you really are a clever one. Been watching too much Monty Python have we?"

Percy grinned. "I don't think I need to answer that."

The Sphinx grinned, her sharp teeth reflecting the torchlight. "You may pass, Son of Poseidon. But beware. Things in the maze are not as they seem."

"I'm quite aware of that already," Percy said. He stepped past the Sphinx and into the passage behind her. He loosened his grip on his sword. He had been lucky the Sphinx had asked him two easy questions during their chat. Otherwise he would have had to answer a riddle, and he was awful at riddles. He took a few more steps, and the hedges behind him closed. There was no turning back. He was nearing the end.

Percy continued on, certain that he would find his end wherever the maze was now leading him. He kept going one step at a time. His pace was even and calm, but his heart was beating faster. Sweat trickled down his face and soaked his beard. He wiped the sweat from his eyes, hissing as the salt stung him. He let water pour out from his ring and willed it around his body. The water calmed and refreshed him. He felt strong. Maybe the maze would not be his end. Maybe he could take on whatever Hecate had planned.

He expected to run into another monster. Another fire-shooting scorpion perhaps. Another Kronos. Maybe even a giant tarantula. Percy hoped that he wouldn't die to a giant tarantula. The thought sent shivers down his spine. He turned a corner, this time to the left, and found himself in another clearing. Instead of another monster, however, Percy found what had to be Triwizard Tournament trophy standing on a platform in the middle of the clearing. He walked around the entire clearing. There were to other paths on the other side, but there did not appear to be any sort of monster lying in wait beside the trophy. Percy approached it, cautiously, holding Anaklusmos to the side, ready to strike if something attacked him.

"What exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Percy asked. Was he supposed to grab the trophy? Bagman had said the first person to reach it. He was the only champion in the maze. He was standing by the trophy. Surely that meant the task was over? He waited, but nothing happened.

"I'm just going to wait here then," Percy said, stubbornly. "I'm done with the task. They can come get me." He sat down on the grass beside the trophy and laid Anaklusmos across his knees. He leaned back and looked up at the stars. The constellation of the Heroes twinkled. Beside it, Zoe looked down upon him. He wasn't sure if she would be proud of him. Of all those he had lost, Zoe, Annabeth, and Nico were the ones he missed the most. Zoe had hated him for a while, sure, but they had gotten to know each other well on their quest. To be her first male friend since that bastard Heracles was quite an honor, and Percy regretted that they never got to enjoy that friendship outside of fighting crazy titan fathers.

Time ticked by. Percy was getting bored, but he refused to move. He wouldn't play Bagman's stupid games. He was clearly the winner, and he refused to touch their stupid trophy to prove it. The hedges rustled. Percy huffed in relief. Finally, someone was coming to get him.

"You are supposed to grab the trophy!"

Percy leaned around the trophy to find a short, fat man with a strange almost rat-like face. "Who are you?"

"You are supposed to grab the trophy!" the man repeated, angrily. Percy rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I'm good."

The man stepped around the trophy and looked at Percy. "Grab the trophy."

"Nope."

"Grab it."

"Nuh uh."

"Stupid boy grab it!"

"Wow you're really good with kids, aren't you?"

The man sneered and grabbed Percy's arm. Percy made to break the guy's hand, but before he could, the man grabbed the trophy. Percy felt a tug on his naval. It was a portkey. Was it supposed to be a portkey? He didn't think so. He tried to move, but the portkey pulled and the two of them disappeared from the maze.

««‡»»

"What in Merlin's name just happened?" shouted someone from the crowd. Harry and Hermione both paled. Beside them Daphne and Tracey clung to each other, both fearing the worst. Thalia, Grover, and Tyson just stared in shock at the clearing that Percy had been sitting in. "Who the hell grabbed Jackson?"

"That was Pettigrew," Harry whispered. Hermione nodded. "Something bad is going on."

Thalia turned to him. "What? Tell me now!"

Before Harry could respond, Professor Moody hobbled towards them. "Thank Merlin you're still here."

"What's going on, Professor?" Hermione asked. Moody looked at her then back at Harry.

"We need to get you inside the castle as soon as possible."

"What for?" Harry asked, growing nervous.

Moody turned and started heading up to the school. "Whoever abducted Jackson is most likely going to try and abduct you, Potter. We need to get you to safety."

"Go, Harry," Hermione said. "We'll stay here in case Percy somehow comes back."

Harry nodded before following Moody.

"I should go with him," Tracey said, looking at her boyfriend with concern. Daphne shook her head.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered. Tracey hugged her friend who was beginning to shake. Thalia put a hand on Daphne's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Daphne. I know Perce. He's a strong fighter. He can take care of himself. He'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?"

Thalia nodded. "I promise."

"Miss Granger!"

They all turned and found Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape hurrying towards them. McGonagall grabbed Hermione's arm. "Miss Granger, where is Mr. Potter?"

The friends all looked at each other. Hermione frowned at her Head of House. "He went up to the castle with Professor Moody. He said that Harry needed to be taken somewhere safe."

The professors all paled.

"What's wrong?" Tracey asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Professor Snape just found Moody locked in a chest," said Dumbledore. "The real Moody. Whoever Harry went with was not your professor."

 **A/N: Chapter took much longer to write than I had expected. The first half took four drafts before I was happy with it. Hope you all enjoyed this! Next chapter has the big finale to year 4 plus the start of summer.**

 **Thank you to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed. Love you all! Till next time.**


	22. Chapter 22

Daphne's leg shook in nervous anticipation as Percy stepped into the hedges to begin the final task. No one was staring at her anymore which eased the nervousness a bit, but she was still very worried for her boyfriend. Tracey and her Gryffindor friends sat around her, but oddly, the most comfort she got wasn't from her best friend Tracey but from Percy's cousin, Thalia. Thalia sat right next to her on her left. As Daphne's leg shook violently, Thalia put an arm around Daphne's shoulder and leaned in to her ear.

"Percy knows how to handle himself," she whispered. "Percy will be okay."

Daphne wasn't sure why, but it made her feel better hearing Thalia say that. She took a deep breath and looked up at the large screen that the judges had set up to be able to see what was going on in the maze. There were four magical projectors to show each champion. Currently, only Percy and Cedric were on the screen. The cannon blasted and a third screen flickered in to view as Krum stepped into the maze. A few minutes later, the cannon blasted one last time and the final screen flickered to life showing the French champion.

Cedric was the first to encounter a monster. The poor Hufflepuff had turned a corner to find himself confronted by an Acromantula. The large spider had attacked quickly, and Cedric had only managed to avoid it by running and casting quick fire spells until he had managed to make it to the other passage on the other side of the clearing. A flash of orange from Percy's screen tore everyone's eyes away from Cedric. Daphne, Tracey, and the Gryffindors all gasped in shock and fear as Percy turned the corner to find a Blast-Ended Skrewt.

"What the Hades is that?" asked Thalia.

"That's a Blast-Ended Skrewt," said Artemis who had returned to watch the final task. Poseidon sat beside the twelve-year-old goddess. "I thought they had gone extinct. We used to hunt them frequently back in Ancient Greece. They're a dangerous, mutated monster."

They all looked back at Percy who, shocking everyone but Thalia and the gods, had dispatched the monster quickly. The monster's blasting end hung limply by the tendons. Percy walked around it, leaving the poor creature to die. Percy went down the next passage when the maze got visibly darker.

"A boggart," whispered Hermione.

"What's a boggart?" Thalia asked, completely unfamiliar with these magical creatures.

"A boggart takes the shape of whatever you fear the most," said Harry, shivering as he remembered dealing with his own boggart in Lupin's class last year.

"How do you even fight it? Just kill it?" asked Thalia.

Daphne shook her head. "You have to use the Riddikulus spell."

"Ah, grandson," came a voice from the screen. "I have been waiting for you." They all turned to see Percy slowly approaching the darkness, holding up an amulet that was glowing brilliantly.

Poseidon and Artemis stood up, but Chiron put a hand on Poseidon's shoulder. "No! It's not him. It's just Percy's greatest fear. Don't interfere." Grover let out a nervous 'baa' which caused a few people nearby to look at him oddly.

"Who is that?" Ginny asked the gods, unsure why they would act that way.

Thalia shivered beside Daphne. "I'll never forget that voice."

"Don't be scared," the voice said, stepping forward and into the light. "We all have an expiration date."

The man was tall and well built with tan skin. He also had a thick beard. Daphne thought she could see some familial resemblance to Percy.

"You're dead," Percy told the figure.

"Who is that?" Hermione asked, repeating Ginny's question.

"I feel very much alive," the man said, a cold sneer on his face.

"Then I guess I'll just have to kill you again, Kronos," Percy spat. Everyone in the crowd began to murmur. Daphne, Tracey, and the Gryffindors turned to Chiron.

"That's the titan Kronos?" Tracey asked. "The guy Percy fought with over the summer?"

Chiron sighed and nodded. "It is. Although the boggart is showing Kronos more as he originally was. He's not in Luke's body."

Daphne turned to the screen. Percy swung his sword but it passed right through Kronos' body. Artemis gasped. "That shouldn't be possible."

"Guess it'll be harder for you," Kronos grinned. Percy capped Anaklusmos and returned the pen to his pocket. "Unarmed? My how you have grown in your arrogance, grandson."

"I have something special for you," Percy said, pulling on his leather band. His Stygian iron trident materialized in his hand. Artemis clicked her tongue.

"That makes sense," she said.

"How so, milady?" Thalia asked.

Artemis pointed at Kronos. "Boggarts are creatures born in the underworld. They are formed by darkness, praying on people's fears. They were originally created by Hades to help in the Fields of Punishment. Only Stygian iron would be able to kill it."

"Just like those skeleton warrior we fought two years ago," Thalia nodded. Daphne looked at her. Thalia just shook her head. "I'll tell you another time."

Percy swung his trident at Kronos and the metal impaled the boggart's chest. Everyone in the crowd screamed when the monster exploded into dust. The judges all started asking each other questions, and students began screaming in shock and awe and most likely fear.

"What the bloody hell?" Tracey shrieked.

"Language, Tracey," Hermione said, though her own eyes were wide in shock.

Thalia shrugged. "That's what happens when you kill a monster. They turn to dust."

"That's it?" Harry asked. "Kinda weird if you ask me."

The crowd eventually quieted down enough to keep watching the screens. Krum encountered a couple monsters himself including a red cap though the Bulgarian champion proved to be quite adept at using darker spells and made quick work of the little monster. The Slytherins in the crowd applauded.

"I told you all," came Draco's voice over the crowd. "Krum is going to win it all. No one else is as good as him."

Artemis turned in the boy's direction. "Who is that?"

"Not right now, milady," Thalia said with a laugh. "We can turn him into a jackalope later."

Artemis sneered in Draco's direction but did nothing. Daphne and Tracey shared a grin with the Gryffindors. It was nice that the gods hated Draco too. A scream from the screens forced everyone to look at Fleur. She had somehow managed to get herself snagged in Devil's Snare. The plant continued to tug and pull her beneath the hedges when she threw up red sparks in the air. A moment later, they could see a tournament assistant stepping into the maze and rescuing Fleur from the evil plant and helping her out of the maze. When she finally arrived back at the stands, her family rushed forward to console her. Fleur's screen shut off. That left three champions in the maze.

Then, Cedric and Krum's screens shut off. The judges started shouting at the assistants to get the screens back up when they heard a scream tear through the night. Daphne's heart stopped and she looked at Percy' scream. The Son of Poseidon wasn't the source of the scream, but he had heard it as well. He turned to the source of the scream, and began hacking away at the hedges with his sword. Everyone watched anxiously as the fourth champion forced his way to the screams. Just as he was nearing the source, his screen cut out. Daphne and her friends screamed and shouted at the screen.

"Bring it back!" shouted someone from the crowd. Everyone began shouting chaotically. A moment later, red sparks flew into the sky. Daphne and her friends watched as Hagrid himself stepped into the maze. Several minutes later, the giant man returned carrying Krum limp over his shoulder and helping Cedric who was struggling to move. Hagrid handed the two boys to Madam Pomfrey and then quickly went to speak with Dumbledore and the judges. The judges looked worried and Dumbledore motioned for Professor Moody to go and speak to them.

"What do you think is going on?" Tracey asked.

"Nothing good," Harry said. "Did you see how Cedric looked? Looked like he got into a nasty fight."

"Do you think they fought each other?" asked Ginny.

Thalia shrugged. "Possibly. It might be something worse though."

Percy's screen flickered back to life. They all turned and sighed in relief that Percy looked unharmed. His orange shirt didn't even look dirty. He continued through the maze until he reached another clearing. Daphne closed her eyes, not wanting to see whatever monster he would fight now. Thalia nudged her. "It's not a bad monster.

"It's a Sphinx!" Hermione said, excitedly. "They ask you riddles, and if you answer it correctly they let you pass."

"And if you don't?" Daphne asked.

Hermione blushed. "They eat you."

Tracey reached around Harry to flick Hermione's ear then hugged Daphne. "He'll be okay. Percy is smarter than he looks."

"You were supposed to be in the Labyrinth."

Everyone in the crowd began to murmur. Daphne vaguely remembered Percy mentioning the Labyrinth, but her Gryffindor friends seemed to be quite fascinated with the word.

"Perseus Jackson."

"How does she know him?" asked Harry to Chiron. Chiron shrugged.

"Do you know, Grover?"

The satyr, who had been quiet the entire time, keeping all his focus on his empathic link to Percy to see how he was, turned to them. "Sorry, I don't know. It must have been after Tyson and I separated from him and Annabeth."

"You remember me," Percy said.

"I remember everyone that answers my questions," the Sphinx said.

Hermione pointed. "See? She asks questions. And she remembers him which means he knows how to answer her."

"How are you here?" Percy asked the Sphinx.

"Where did you expect me to be?"

"In the Labyrinth," Percy said again. "Dead, I guess."

"The Labyrinth collapsed. It's gone. Why would I stay there?"

"Are you going to let me through?"

"You know the rules, demigod," the Sphinx said. "You must first answer my question."

"I already did," Percy said. "Twice."

The Sphinx laughed. "My, you really are a clever one. Been watching too much Monty Python have we?"

Tracey turned to Harry. "What does she mean? What did he answer?"

Hermione closed her eyes, thinking hard, then started to laugh. "Oh! Monty Python! I get it now!"

"What is it?" asked Daphne, unfamiliar with the type of snake.

"Monty Python is a comedy group. They have a muggle movie called Monty Python and the Holy Grail. There's a scene where they come up to a bridge and they have to answer this guy's question or else they get thrown off the cliff. One of the main characters asks the guy a question and when the guy says he doesn't know, he gets thrown off himself," Hermione said. "It's a clever way of tricking the question asker so you don't actually have to answer the question yourself."

"So Percy tricked the Sphinx?" Harry asked. Hermione shook her head.

"He didn't trick her. More that he found a loophole."

"Impressive," Artemis nodded.

"I'm back," said Tyson. Everyone turned to the cyclops, having completely forgotten that he had gone off to find some snack to eat. "Did I miss anything?"

"Pretty much everything, Tyson," Grover said. "Where did you even go?"

Tyson shrugged. "The lake."

They all blinked then slowly turned back to the screen. Percy passed the Sphinx and went deeper into the maze. Daphne's leg began to shake nervously again. The maze was quiet, and it seemed as though something evil was lurking behind every turn. Finally, Percy came to another clearing, and Daphne and her friends sighed in relief when they spotted the Triwizard trophy sitting on a platform in the middle. Percy circled the clearing to make sure it was clear before approaching the trophy.

"He only needs to grab it, and the task is over," Bagman said loudly.

"Grab it," Harry murmured. Everyone else murmured in agreement.

"I'm just going to wait here then," Percy said, stubbornly. "I'm done with the task. They can come get me." He sat down on the grass beside the trophy and laid his sword across his knees. Tracey snorted.

"He's stubborn."

"You don't know the half of it," Thalia groaned in frustration. "He's just going to sit there until somebody gets him."

The crowd turned to the tournament assistants who were all looking at the judges for the go ahead. Bagman chuckled nervously but shook his head. "He has to grab it." Percy didn't grab it.

"Bloody hell, somebody go and make him grab it!" said one of the visiting parents. The crowd groaned and started talking loudly, clearing losing interest in the screen.

"I think that's what Percy wants," Poseidon said, speaking up for the first time. "He wants people to lose interest in the task. It doesn't matter. He's showing Hecate how little she means to him."

"Dangerous," Chiron said, stroking his beard.

The minutes ticked by and Harry, Hermione, and Ginny had started to play some strange muggle game that involved patting your legs and either pointing your fingers at someone, pointing your fingers upwards, or covering your chest. Daphne thought it was bizarre and didn't pay much attention. Tracey rested her chin on Harry's shoulder to watch the game.

"So the skeleton warriors?" Daphne asked Thalia. Thalia turned and smiled.

"Oh, yeah. Did Percy tell you about our quest to rescue Lady Artemis?" Thalia asked. Daphne nodded, glancing at the goddess who was listening to them. "Well, the moment that Percy joined our quest, we got attacked by these skeleton warriors that were working for the titan Atlas." Artemis sneered at the name. "We couldn't kill them with anything. Then we found out that Bianca could kill them with her Stygian iron sword."

"So creatures from the Underworld can only be killed with Stygian iron?" Daphne asked.

"And monsters can only be killed with either Celestial bronze or Stygian iron," Thalia nodded. Artemis hummed.

"Or Imperial gold," Artemis said. "It's a Roman material."

Thalia blinked. "Roman?"

Artemis nodded. "Remember the camp out in San Francisco we don't go to?"

Thalia nodded, "Oh that's right."

"Wait, what do you mean Roman?" Daphne asked.

"The gods have two forms," said Artemis. "We can be either Greek or Roman. For the gods that...have children...their children are either Greek or Roman demigods. We tried to keep them separate for a while because Greeks and Romans do not get along, but following the Battle for Olympus, the remaining Greek demigods all went out west to the Roman camp. So far, nothing serious has happened that I'm aware of."

Poseidon shook his head. "Nor I."

"So there are many more demigods out there?" asked Daphne. Artemis snorted.

"Of course. The gods cannot keep it in their pants."

"I'll have you know that Percy is the first child I've had in over a hundred years," Poseidon said.

"He's still your child," Artemis said. "Do I need to remind you how children are made?"

Before Poseidon could respond, movement from the screen brought everyone's attention back to the maze. They watched Percy turn to the hedges which were rustling. Daphne looked, but all the tournament assistants and Hagrid were standing by the judge's table arguing with Bagman to let them get Percy.

A short man appeared in the clearing opposite Percy. Hermione and Harry gasped in shock. "You are supposed to grab the trophy!"

Percy turned to the fat man. "Who are you?"

"You are supposed to grab the trophy!" the man repeated, angrily.

"Nah, I'm good."

The man stepped around the trophy and looked at Percy. "Grab the trophy."

"Nope."

"Grab it."

"Nuh uh."

"Stupid boy grab it!"

"Wow you're really good with kids, aren't you?"

The man sneered and grabbed Percy's arm. Percy made to break the guy's hand, but before he could, the man grabbed the trophy. They disappeared from the clearing, and the screen died. Percy was no longer in the maze.

"What in Merlin's name just happened?" shouted someone from the crowd. Harry and Hermione both paled. Beside them Daphne and Tracey clung to each other, both fearing the worst. Thalia, Grover, and Tyson just stared in shock at the clearing that Percy had been sitting in. "Who the hell grabbed Jackson?"

"That was Pettigrew," Harry whispered. Hermione nodded. "Something bad is going on."

Thalia turned to him. "What? Tell me now!"

Before Harry could respond, Professor Moody hobbled towards them. "Thank Merlin you're still here."

"What's going on, Professor?" Hermione asked. Moody looked at her then back at Harry.

"We need to get you inside the castle as soon as possible."

"What for?" Harry asked, growing nervous.

Moody turned and started heading up to the school. "Whoever abducted Jackson is most likely going to try and abduct you, Potter. We need to get you to safety."

"Go, Harry," Hermione said. "We'll stay here in case Percy somehow comes back."

Harry nodded before following Moody.

"I should go with him," Tracey said, looking at her boyfriend with concern. Daphne shook her head.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered. Tracey hugged her friend who was beginning to shake. Thalia put a hand on Daphne's shoulder.

"Don't worry, Daphne. I know Perce. He's a strong fighter. He can take care of himself. He'll be back before you know it."

"Promise?"

Thalia nodded. "I promise."

"Miss Granger!"

They all turned and found Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape hurrying towards them. McGonagall grabbed Hermione's arm. "Miss Granger, where is Mr. Potter?"

The friends all looked at each other. Hermione frowned at her Head of House. "He went up to the castle with Professor Moody. He said that Harry needed to be taken somewhere safe."

The professors all paled.

"What's wrong?" Tracey asked, tears forming in her eyes.

"Professor Snape just found Moody locked in a chest," said Dumbledore. "The real Moody. Whoever Harry went with was not your professor."

"What do you mean?" asked Poseidon.

"Polyjuice?" asked Hermione. Dumbledore nodded.

"Whoever that was, has been taking a potion to look and sound like Professor Moody."

Hermione looked at Poseidon and Artemis. "Can you do anything to help?"

"The ancient laws prevent us from interfering," Artemis said, shaking her head. "I will go and find my hunters. Perhaps we can track Percy down."

"I'll wait here and see if Percy returns, milady," Thalia said. Artemis nodded.

"I must return to Atlantis," Poseidon said. "Tyson is coming with me. We will speak with Zeus and Hades to see if we know what Hecate is planning. Find my son."

Grover looked at Artemis. "Can I help with the search."

The goddess hesitated before nodding. The four of them rushed off leaving Chiron with the young kids and professors.

"We need to find Harry, now," Daphne said, wiping her eyes. "Percy can handle himself. We need to save Harry."

Tracey squeezed Daphne's arm in appreciation. Dumbledore nodded. "Follow me to the castle. Wands out everyone."

The group left the stands and the screaming crowd and rushed up to the castle. The moment they were out of view of the castle, Chiron leapt out of his wheelchair startling the students when the powerful centaur went charging ahead of them towards Hogwarts.

"Woah," Tracey said as they ran. "I wasn't expecting that."

Chiron threw the great doors to the school open and stomped inside. "Where is Moody's office?"

Dumbledore pointed to a staircase. "That way."

They ran through the school, startling and angering paintings as they went, until they reached the Defense Tower. Chiron used his front hooves to kick down the door to Moody's office. The fake Moody was holding up a wand to Harry's neck.

"Get away from the boy," Chiron said, a spear materializing in his hands. Dumbledore and others filled the room, pointing their wands at the fake Moody.

"The Dark Lord returns," the fake Moody grinned, and grabbed Harry's arm. The two of them swirled and popped out of the room.

"Did they just portkey out of here?" asked Snape. "How did they get a portkey that could bypass the school's wards?"

Dumbledore dropped onto a desk. "He has been studying our wards his entire time here, preparing for this moment."

"Albus," said McGonagall, "there must be something we can do!"

Tracey turned to the Headmaster, her eyes tearing up once more having seen her boyfriend being taken by a sadistic madman. Dumbledore shook his head.

"All we can do is wait."

Tracey sobbed.

««‡»»

Harry groaned as he woke up. Last thing he remembered, the fake Moody had portkeyed them out of Hogwarts somehow and they had arrived at a graveyard before he was stunned. He tried to move his arms to rub his eyes, but found that he was tied down. He looked at his arms. Or rather, he was being held down by some sort of statue.

"Good of you to wake up," came a voice from his left. Harry turned and found Percy being held by a gargoyle statue.

"Percy!"

"And you remember me," Percy grinned. "Guess they didn't hit your head too hard."

"Where are we?"

"In a graveyard."

Harry blinked and rolled his eyes. "Thanks. I couldn't tell."

Percy shrugged as best as he could in his confines. "Hey, you asked, man."

"So you're awake now."

Harry turned to see someone from Dumbledore's memories approaching him. "Barty Crouch Jr.?"

Crouch grinned. "Did a good job as your professor, didn't I?"

"You were the fake Moody?" Harry asked. "Why?"

"To get you here!" Crouch groaned. "Are you really that stupid?"

"You knocked him out," Percy said, "what did you expect exactly?"

Crouch growled at Percy. "We'll deal with you later. For now, it's time to begin, Wormtail."

Harry turned to see Wormtail approaching him, levitating a large cauldron. Crouch lit a fire in a pit that Harry hadn't noticed was there. Wormtail placed the cauldron down and then cast a spell, presumably filling it with the base for a potion.

"What are you doing?" asked Percy. "Is that a potion? Will it smell? Is this going to take long? I have stuff to do later."

"You're not going anywhere," growled Crouch.

"Oh, come on, man," Percy whined. "Just let us go. It's not like we really need to be here for your weird cult-kool-aid parties."

Harry looked at Percy oddly as did Crouch and Wormtail. Percy shrugged. "You guys need to get out into the world more."

With the potion prepared, Wormtail turned and threw a silencing spell on Percy. Percy tried to speak but sneered when no sound came out. Crouch approached Percy and punched him in the face. Percy's face did not move a centimeter, and Crouch's eyes widened as the bones in his hand snapped. Percy just grinned up at him. "Finish this, Wormtail. I need to fix my hand."

Crouch stumbled out of the graveyard behind them, and Wormtail nodded and turned back to the potion. Fiery, red sparks flew up into the air from whatever was in the cauldron. Wormtail then reached into the satchel around his waist and pulled out a vial containing something white.

"Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!" Wormtail poured the bone dust into the cauldron which turned a vibrant blue. Percy's eyes widened, but he couldn't say anything.

"What are you doing, Wormtail?" Harry asked. Wormtail ignored him and pulled out a knife. Whimpering, Wormtail put the knife on his wrist.

"Flesh of the servant, willingly sacrifice, you will revive your master."

Percy dry heaved and Harry closed his eyes tightly as Wormtail cut off his hand and it plopped into the cauldron which turned a fiery red. Wormtail conjured a towel and wrapped it around the stump of his wrist, whimpering. With the towel fastened, he turned and approached Harry.

"You don't have to do this, Pettigrew," Harry said.

"Hold still, Potter," Wormtail said. "This won't hurt...much."

Harry grimaced in pain but held back a cry when Wormtail sliced his arm open. The fat man dropped the knife and pulled out a vial, holding it up to the cut and letting blood pour in. Wormtail hobbled back to the cauldron. "Blood of the enemy, forcibly taken, you will resurrect your foe."

The potion turned a blinding white as the blood was poured in. Wormtail dropped the vial and walked behind a couple headstones. He bent over and picked up a bundle in his one good hand and returned to the cauldron. Harry stretched his neck to see what was bundled up, but could not tell. Wormtail, still whimpering, held the bundle over the cauldron and dropped it in. The cauldron exploded in blinding light for a moment before it exploded. Harry closed his eyes and turned his head to try and avoid being hit by cauldron debris. When he looked back, a man stood where the cauldron had once been.

"My robe, Wormtail," said the figure. Wormtail scrambled and held up a piece of cloth. The figure wrapped himself in the robe and turned to Harry. Percy, silently, winced at the man's ugly face. Harry too wanted to squirm. The man's skin was pale white, his eyes were red, and instead of a nose, he had two slits like a snake. "Harry Potter, it is so good of you to be here to see my return."

"Voldemort," Harry spat.

"And you must be, Perseus Jackson," Voldemort said, looking at Percy. Percy started mouthing something and it appeared to Harry as though Percy was cracking jokes based on the smile on his face. Voldemort sneered. "Did you put the silencing charm on him, Wormtail?"

"Y-yes, master," Wormtail said.

"Perhaps you do have a brain," Voldemort said. "My wand, Wormtail."

"Of-of course, master," Wormtail held out Voldemort's wand to him. Voldemort grabbed it and waved it at Percy.

"Haha!" Percy's eyes widened. "Oh, I can talk again now. Thanks, I appreciate it. Anyways, I was saying, how much botox do you have to have injected into your face to get it to freeze like that?"

Voldemort sneered. "You think humor will save you?"

"Not at all," Percy said. "But if you can't laugh, then what's the point?"

Voldemort turned back to Wormtail. "Give me your arm, Wormtail."

"Thank you, master!" Wormtail said, holding out his stump. Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"The other arm, Wormtail."

Wormtail whimpered and held out the other arm. Voldemort grabbed it and pressed his wand into the eerie tattoo on Wormtail's skin. Wormtail grimaced in pain and several moments later, several cracks came from behind Voldemort. Voldemort sighed at the sound of Wormtail's whimperings and flicked his wand. A silver hand appeared on the snivelling man's stump. The Dark Lord turned and looked at the many figures that stood, dressed in black robes and wearing silver masks.

"My friends!" Voldemort said, walking towards them. "I'm glad you could all come to see me return. But I must admit, I'm disappointed in you all. Did no one try and look for me?"

"I-I did, master," Wormtail said from beside him.

"Out of fear not loyalty," Voldemort sneered. "The only one that came Junior! And he had to break out of fucking prison to do it! Tell me, why couldn't any of you?" Voldemort stormed over to one figure in particular. "Why didn't you, Lucius?"

Voldemort tore off the silver mask to reveal Draco's father. Percy and Harry both looked at him wide-eyed. Percy turned to Harry. "Guess we should have seen that one coming."

"Master," Lucius said slowly, "we thought you were dead. We thought you were gone."

"And somehow you are still here, walking around, free to do as you please," Voldemort rasped. "Why lie? My most loyal followers are in Azkaban because they know loyalty. Do you know loyalty, Lucius?"

Lucius bowed his head. "Forgive me, master. I was lost."

Voldemort patted Lucius' cheek. "I forgive you, Lucius."

Lucius sighed in relief, but Voldemort turned his wand and shouted, " _Crucio_!"

"Yep," Percy mumbled to Harry, "Cedric was under that spell. That's why he was screaming."

"Wait, what?" Harry asked, turning to Percy and trying in vain to get Lucius' screams out of his head.

"In the maze. Krum cast the Cruciatus spell on Cedric. I think Krum was being controlled."

"With the Imperious?"

Percy nudged his head in Voldemort's direction. "After all this, that's not really surprising."

Harry shook his head. "No, I guess not. Percy, how are we going to get out of this?"

"I'm coming up with a plan."

"Rise, Lucius," Voldemort said, lifting the curse. "All is forgiven now. We have work to do, but for now, I am glad you all came to witness something rather special."

The Dark Lord turned and stalked towards Harry, his stride was even and his hand barely held his wand though Harry knew that with hardly a flick, the evil monstrosity could end his life.

"Master," said one of the Death Eaters, "is that Harry Potter?"

"I'm amazed, Dolohov," said Voldemort, "you can still use your brain."

Percy's eyes shifted sharply to Dolohov. The man that had gotten away from him after killing his mom. Tonight, Percy would have his vengeance. Voldemort noticed and grinned. "Dolohov, I'd be careful of this one. It appears as though he doesn't like you."

The Death Eaters laughed.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort said, walking up closer to the boy, "I cannot tell you how long I have waited for this moment."

"Can't say I feel the same way," Harry said, narrowing his eyes at the snake-man. "Is it really that hard to kill a kid that you have to abduct me and tie me up?"

Voldemort glared at him. "I could kill you anywhere you go. This, this is more than just killing. This is an execution!"

Percy cocked his head. "Execution. Seriously? You have to execute him? What exactly has Harry done to you?"

"He cost me everything!" Voldemort roared. The Death Eaters, even though they weren't near their master or even the focus of his rage, cowered. "At the height of my power, this _insolent_ boy somehow managed to stop me! For 13 years, I've been a specter! Biding my time before Hecate herself gave me the opportunity to return!" Voldemort turned to Harry. "I could not touch you before, Potter. But your blood runs through my veins. I can touch you now!" Voldemort grabbed Harry's throat, and Harry screamed as the Dark Lord's fingers burned his skin.

Percy used the opportunity as a distraction, allowing his body to materialize into water. He used the water molecules in the air to propel his now liquid body through his bondages and behind the Dark Lord. The Death Eaters, focusing entirely on their master harming the thirteen-year-old, did not notice. "Oh, Thomas Riddle, what a disappointment you are."

Voldemort pulled away and turned, eyes wide as he looked at the edge of the legendary blade of Percy. "How?"

"These people may be less than you in strength, Tommy Boy, but you and I know the truth," Percy said, smiling. "You can be as strong as a true demigod, you could be the son of Hecate herself. Nothing changes the fact that she is a lesser god. Kneel before me, and I think I might spare you."

The Death Eaters watched wide-eyed, unsure of what to do or say. Voldemort's eyes burned with rage, his wand twitching in his hand. "I kneel to no one!" Percy then realized what Hecate had meant when she had told him that Voldemort was the strongest legacy in the world. His strength was certainly equal to that of a demigod child of Hecate. It was all Percy could do, tired and weary from fighting in the maze and materializing into water, to dodge out of the way as Voldemort hurtled spell after spell at him.

Percy, managed to shift their location, rotating and forcing Voldemort to shift over towards his Death Eaters which had began firing their own spells. "Harry, get out of here!" Percy slashed his sword on the statue that held Harry in place, and the boy fell to the ground.

"I need my wand!" Harry shouted, adjusting his glasses and stumbling behind a gravestone. Percy, in the midst of leaping and dodging spells, looked around for Harry's wand on the off chance that Crouch was an idiot and had left it lying around somewhere.

"Are you looking for this?" Voldemort called out, revealing Harry's wand in his hand. "I have a proposition for you both." He held out a hand and the Death Eaters lowered their wands. "A duel for your survival."

"A duel?" Harry asked.

"Yes, you do know how to duel, Potter?"

Harry just stared back at Riddle.

"Stubborn," Voldemort said, "good. All the better to break you then. You can have your wand back, Potter, but you must agree to duel."

"And if we duel, Percy gets to leave?"

"You have my word."

Percy looked at Harry. "Don't be an idiot, Harry."

"It's okay, Percy," Harry said, pushing his glasses back up his nose. "Just get back to Hogwarts. I can take care of myself." Harry walked up to Voldemort. "I agree."

Voldemort grinned and sent Harry back his wand. Harry gripped it in his hand, glad to have it back in his possession. "You are aware of the rules of the duel? First, we bow."

Harry stood his ground.

"I said, bow, Potter," Voldemort repeated. Still, Harry did nothing. "Bow!"

"Nope," Harry shook his head. Voldemort sneered.

" _Imperio_!"

Harry gasped at the sudden intrusion into his mind. _Bow!_ The forceful voice of Voldemort rang through his head, reverberating on the sides of his brain. Still, Harry did not move.

"Impressive," Voldemort said softly, ending the unforgivable. "Most impressive."

Harry adjusted his stance, gripping his wand and pointing it at Voldemort. "I can do this all day."

" _Avada Kedavra!_ "

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

Everyone stared in shock and awe as the red and green spells hurtled across the cemetery, striking with such force that the Death Eaters were knocked down. Percy himself was forced down to a knee. The spells shifted in one direction and then in another, a game of tug-of-war with death itself on the line. Harry and Voldemort both struggled to maintain control of their wands. Harry put both hands on his to help stabilize it when an explosion of light and sound erupted from where the two spells met. Harry looked around as thousands of streams of light flew out from the explosion swirling around them and attacking the Death Eaters, forcing them back.

"Hold on, Harry!" came a voice. Harry recognized it. The voice was a comfort and a shock. It was a voice from his past. "You are doing so well, Harry, keep going!"

"Mom?" Harry whispered. A stream of ethereal light manifested itself into the image of his mother.

"Oh, Harry, I am so proud of you!" Tears streamed down his mother's face.

"We both are, son," said a second voice, a light that manifested as well into the image of his father. Harry nearly gasped. His parents both looked exactly as he had seen them in the Mirror of Erised so long ago.

"Dad!"

"Hold on, son," said James Potter. "Just a little bit longer!"

"I don't understand!"

"We'll hold him off long enough for you and Percy to get away," said Lily. "Oh, Harry, I'm so proud of you!"

"Wait!" Harry shouted. "Don't go!"

"We'll see you soon, Harry! Find the Cave of Orpheus!" said James.

"The Cave of Orpheus?"

"It's time, Harry," Lily said. "It's time! Let go, Harry."

James nodded. "It's time to let go now, son. We are so proud of you!"

Harry's eyes stung with tears. He didn't want them to leave. He shouted, his voice filled with rage and pain. He yanked his wand away, ending the spell. He expected Voldemort's killing curse to hit him, but it never did. Instead, the beams of ethereal light collapsed down onto the Dark Lord and his followers.

"Harry," Percy shouted, running up to him. "We need to get out of here!"

"Grab the trophy," Harry said, turning from the scene and running back to where he and Percy had been tied up. "It's a portkey. It should take us back."

As Percy went to grab the trophy, Harry looked around. Where was Wormtail? Or Crouch?

"Okay, I got it," Percy called out.

"Bring it here," Harry said, leaning on a headstone for support, his legs weary and his arms ready to die.

"I don't want to pick it up without you in case it takes me," Percy called back. The Son of Poseidon walked over to Harry. "Come on, that light stuff is still holding them back but we need to go now."

"Leaving so soon?" said Crouch, stepping around the gargoyle that had held Percy in place. "Without saying goodbye to your professor?"

"Seriously?" Percy asked. "You broke your hand just punching me, you really want to fight?"

Crouch sneered, rubbing his now healed hand. "You are an arrogant son of a bitch."

"I wouldn't call his mom a bitch," Harry offered, but Crouch had realized his mistake all on his own. The ground began to shake violently, an earthquake so strong that the graveyard began to split. Thunder boomed overhead and the sky, though dark, was now illuminated by lightning cracking in the gathering storm clouds. Rain began to pour down on them and the winds picked up. "P-Percy?"

Percy's eyes began to glow, and water poured out from his ring. The water lifted the demigod into the air and in his right hand appeared his trident. Crouch stumbled backwards, tripping over Wormtail in his rat form who was himself trying to flee the scene. The lights surrounding Voldemort and the Death Eaters faded and they turned, ready to fight Harry and Percy when they saw the scene before them. The skies were torn open, and the wind whipped violently around them. They tried to stand, but the ground, continuing to shake and rip the ground, would not let them. At the center of the hurricane was Percy, bathed in water and radiating power so fiercely that Voldemort himself scrambled back. Percy's words to him, telling him to kneel, rang in the Dark Lord's head. The Dark Lord had never encountered a true demigod before. He now understood why Hecate had told him to remove Jackson quickly.

"Do not speak of my mother," Percy said, his voice ringing out like a church bell, echoing across the graveyard. Crouch held his hands up, begging for mercy. The Death Eaters and the Dark Lord all apparated away, leaving Crouch and Wormtail to fend for themselves. Percy raised his trident and, using the force of the water holding him up, flung himself downwards. His body, a torpedo through the water, flew right towards Crouch. Harry looked away right as Percy struck. Everything ended. As quickly as the hurricane had come, it dispelled. The ground stopped shaking, though Harry threw up on the gravestone next to him, unused to his stomach being churned so violently. Harry looked back to find Percy standing over Crouch's body, his trident piercing the traitorous man's chest. The water flooded the graveyard, and Harry spotted a floating rat, quickly stunning it and putting it in his pocket.

"Percy?" Harry called out. Percy turned to him, his eyes fading back to the normal sea green. "Bloody hell, Percy, that was insane!"

Percy shrugged. "Give me a break, I was tired."

Harry blinked and Percy grinned. The Son of Poseidon looked back to where Voldemort and the Death Eaters had been. "I guess they got scared."

"No shit!" Harry said, stepping across the muddy ground to get to Percy. "You made a hurricane!"

"Actually, that was more of a typhoon," Percy said. "I have to be at full strength to make a hurricane. You should see what I can do with Thalia around."

Harry shook his head. "I don't know if my stomach can handle it. How did you even make an earthquake?"

"Poseidon is the god of earthquakes too," Percy said shrugging. He looked around. "What did I do with the trophy?"

Harry looked around as well, then pointed over to the edge of the graveyard. "It got washed over there."

They walked over to the trophy, and on the count of three, they both reached down and grabbed the trophy. Nothing happened. Harry snorted. "I guess it would have been too much to assume that Crouch was an idiot and made the portkey a two-way one."

"Well, I guess we'll just have to figure out another way back to Hogwarts," Percy shrugged, though he picked up the trophy.

"What do you need that for?"

"I won the fucking tournament didn't I? This is mine."

Harry just rolled his eyes. He was about to respond when he heard a car horn. He spun and looked over to where Voldemort and his followers had been. Parked on the grass was a bright red sports car that seemed have scorched the ground beneath it. Percy slapped his head.

"For fuck's sake," Percy groaned. Harry looked at him confused. Percy just waved him off and started walking towards the car. Harry, still completely confused, followed. A man, probably one of the most handsome men Harry had ever seen, stepped out of the car. His blonde hair looked like the sun and he looked oddly like Percy.

"Percy!" the man shouted. "So good to see you, man!"

"What are you doing here, Apollo?"

"What? No, 'hello' or 'thanks for coming'?" Apollo put a hand over his heart. "I'm hurt, cousin!"

Harry's eyes widened. Percy's cousins were either demigods or gods. Judging by the man's appearance, Harry went with the latter.

Percy just shook his head. "Thanks for coming, hello. Now what are you doing here?"

"You didn't think we would miss your little storm did you?" Apollo asked. "Soon as I saw it, I knew just where to find you."

"Where's my dad?" Percy asked.

"He's down in Atlantis," Apollo said. "As soon as he figured out you had been abducted, he left immediately to go and spread the word to the rest of the Olympians. I think Arty and her little hunters are looking for you too." As if on cue, a silver arrow struck the sports car on the hood. Apollo shrieked and stared at it.

"Don't call me, Arty," Artemis growled, appearing in the clearing along with her hunters. The girls glared at Apollo and Harry. Harry simply cowered and stood behind Percy.

Apollo glared at his sister. "You shot my car."

"It's a stupid car," Artemis said.

"You're stupid!"

"Really? Here? Now?" Percy asked. "Can't we do this back at Hogwarts? I'm tired."

"You really know how to get yourself into trouble don't you?" asked one of the hunters. Harry was surprised that she was smiling at Percy good naturedly.

"You know me, Phoebe," Percy said laughing.

"Apollo, you have your godly duties to perform soon," Artemis said. "Leave this to us."

Apollo looked up and noticed that the sun was indeed on cue to rise. "Fine, fine. Later, Percy. Later, wizard dude."

Harry waved lamely at Apollo who yanked the arrow out of his car and slid across the hood. The god waved to everyone, blew a kiss at the hunters, and ducked into his car before Artemis could kill him. The car flew off into the sky just as the sun began to rise in the distance.

"You don't look surprised by the flying car," Percy said. Harry shook his head.

"In my second year, Ron and I took his dad's flying car to Hogwarts because we missed the train."

Percy and Phoebe stared at him. "Seriously?"

Harry nodded. "I'll tell you later."

"Yes, later," said Artemis. "We need to get back to Hogwarts. Many are worried."

"Percy!" shouted Grover, pushing through the hunters. The satyr, no longer hiding his legs, shocked Harry. His goat legs propelled the satyr much faster than Harry had ever imagined, and Grover pulled Percy into a hug. "We thought we would never find you."

"No we didn't," said Phoebe. "That was you."

Grover shrugged. "I'm pessimistic, what can I say?"

"It's all good," Percy laughed. "We took care of it pretty easily. Harry here turns out to be one strong little magic boy."

"I'll show you 'little'," Harry grumbled.

"Just get on the chariot and let's get back," Artemis said. Harry and Percy followed Grover and the hunters out of the graveyard and off the property to where Artemis' chariot was. Harry was astonished as they flew through the dawn, watching the stags pull the chariot across the sky. It was mesmerizing, as though he was watching his own father carry him back to safety. Artemis was already his favorite Olympian. As if knowing what he was thinking, the goddess turned to him and gave a slight nod of her head.

««‡»»

Voldemort sat at the head of the table in Malfoy Manor. Beside him, Lucius sat, hands clasped together under the table and looking down. The other Death Eaters were equally silent. The grandfather clock in the dining room chimed. Sunlight streamed down through the stained glass windows, and Voldemort threw up a spell, conjuring up boards to cover them. The room was dark again, illuminated only by the light of candles.

"My, this is dark," came a voice from the far end. The Death Eaters all rose their wands, ready to strike whoever had managed to break into the manor. Voldemort simply sat back in his seat.

"Relax," Voldemort said to his Death Eaters. They all hesitated before returning to their seats. "Where were you earlier?"

"I was watching." Hecate strode into the room. The Death Eaters leered at the Greek goddess, their lust obvious. She paid them no attention. "You were supposed to kill Potter. Killing Potter is the only way to stop Jackson. You failed."

Voldemort stood up and pointed at her. "You never told me how strong he was."

"Do not point at me, mortal," Hecate sneered. The candles blew out and the air chilled as though it were filled with dementors. The Death Eaters began to sweat nervously. Even Voldemort sat back down. "You had your chance to kill Potter but you failed. You wanted to make it an execution. Public. Your hubris will be your doom."

"I-"

"Do not speak," Hecate demanded. The Death Eaters were shocked, having never seen their master cower before anyone. "I had promised you the wand in return for killing Potter. You failed."

"I cannot defeat him or Jackson without it!" Voldemort said. Hecate turned away from him.

"That is not my problem." Her body began to glow, and Voldemort quickly averted his eyes. Many of the Death Eaters turned as well, but two were not so careful. As Hecate revealed her true form and left the manor, the two Death Eaters disintegrated.

Lucius stared at the spot where Hecate had been. "Who in Merlin's name was that?"

"Hecate," Voldemort said quietly. "The goddess of magic."

The Death Eaters all looked at one another.

"You mean that Jackson boy is telling the truth?" asked Dolohov. "The Greek gods are real?"

Voldemort nodded.

"So what?" said one Death Eater. "She is nothing. I say we kill Jackson now ourselves!"

The Death Eater began screaming in pain. Voldemort, atop the table, held the Cruciatus curse on the man until the screams faded. He lifted the curse and all that was left was the barely breathing husk of the man. Voldemort looked around the room, his eyes burning with unhindered rage.

"Anyone else feel like speaking?"

Silence.

"Good." Voldemort stepped down from the table and began to leave the room. "Figure out a way to kill Potter. I want the boy dead by the end of the summer."

««‡»»

Percy sat in Dumbledore's office. His friends sat in chairs beside him watching as Dumbledore and McGonagall yelled at Minister Fudge. When they had returned with the hunters, Harry and Percy had gone immediately into the castle. They had reached Dumbledore's office where they had found the judges, except Karkaroff, and their friends all in the room all shouting and trying to figure out what was going on. Seeing Percy and Harry, Bagman and Madame Maxime applauded Percy for winning the tournament and left. Their friends had rushed over to hug them, Daphne and Tracey both holding themselves back from beating or snogging the boys. Thalia too, smiled and hugged Percy before leaving to find the hunters. Percy had explained what had happened in the maze and what had happened in the graveyard. Harry, too, pulled out a stunned rat from his pocket and informed Dumbledore that it was Peter Pettigrew. Percy was surprised to learn that the fat man was the one responsible for betraying Harry's parents and getting them killed and Sirius Black imprisoned.

Minister Fudge was either the biggest idiot in the world-and for Percy, who had met and spoken with Dionysus, that was saying a lot-or he was corrupt. Neither put him in a positive light in Percy's eyes. The Minister refused to believe anything the boys said, and had even tried to dispel Harry's claim that Pettigrew was the rat, claiming Harry was a liar. McGonagall had silenced the Minister when she cast a spell on the rat which turned it back into a man. The Minister, no longer able to support his claims of Harry being a liar, had begun to stutter which led to McGonagall and Dumbledore both yelling at him to listen to reason.

"Enough!" Fudge shouted. "I will not listen to these dreadful lies anymore! I apologize, Mr. Potter, for not believing you about Pettigrew. I will inform Madam Bones at once and we will...begin the process to lift the bounty on Black. But none of this proves that You-Know-Who is back!"

"You must see reason!" McGonagall said. "If they are telling the truth about Pettigrew, surely they're telling the truth about You-Know-Who."

Snape stepped forward for the first time. "Minister, look at my arm. The mark is dark and alive. It means he has returned."

Fudge spat on Snape. "No. I will not listen to this. I am leaving. Good day."

The Minister left the room in a fury. Percy stood up and slammed the door behind him. "That man is the biggest idiot I have ever met."

"What do we do now, Albus?" asked McGonagall.

Dumbledore moved and sat down behind his desk. "Tom is back in full strength now. He will want the power that Hecate can give him, and the only way he can do that is if he goes after Harry."

Harry, having already faced death that night, remained stoic, but his friends all looked at him in worry. Tracey gripped his hand tightly, afraid that if she let go, she would lose him.

"He can't go back to his relatives, Albus," McGonagall said. "That place surely is not safe."

"There is no where else he can go," Dumbledore said with a sigh, removing his glasses and closing his eyes tightly.

"We need to contact the Order," Snape said. "I'm sure people would be willing to guard Potter."

McGonagall shook her head. "That can't be enough, can it?"

"I'll contact the Order as soon as we are done," Dumbledore said. "It will have to be enough. It has to be."

"Sir," said Hermione, "what is the Order?"

"You are too young to know, Granger," Snape said, sneering.

"I'm afraid Professor Snape is correct, Miss Granger," Dumbledore said. "Perhaps over the summer after we figure out what our next steps will be you will be informed."

The students all looked miffed at being brushed off.

"So now what?" asked Harry, speaking for the first time since presenting Pettigrew.

"Right now, we need to focus on getting the bounty lifted on Black," Dumbledore said. He looked at where Pettigrew was slumped up against the wall. "I will contact Madam Bones to come and collect him as soon as we finish."

"And this summer?" Harry asked. "I don't want to go back to the Dursleys."

"I'm afraid we have no other option," Dumbledore said, sadly. "There are protections over that place preventing anyone that would wish you harm to enter."

Harry scoffed. "Voldemort is strong. I'm sure he could take down those protections easily." Harry still didn't want to mention that he wanted to get away from his relatives. Only Percy knew the truth of what went on within Number 4 Privet Drive.

"Harry, there is no other option," Dumbledore insisted.

"That's not true, actually," Percy said, speaking up. Everyone turned to him. Dumbledore sighed, knowing exactly what Percy was going to say. "There is one place on earth that is actually really safe. Voldemort and his little cultists won't be able to get to him."

"What place is this?" McGonagall asked, genuinely curious.

"Camp Half-Blood," said Chiron, who had been sitting in his wheelchair quiet ever since Percy and Harry had returned.

Harry looked at Percy. "Your summer camp?"

Percy smiled and nodded. "You up for a trip to New York?"

"Mr. Jackson, are you sure about this?" asked Dumbledore.

Percy nodded at him. "You know as well as I do that Camp is the safest place for us to be."

"I..." Dumbledore hesitated, his want to keep Percy and Harry safe warring against his enslavement to Hecate and her wish to kill them both.

"If it makes you feel better," Percy said softly, walking over to the desk. "I can say you tried to stop us."

"Very well," Dumbledore nodded. "Tonight, you, Harry and Chiron will leave for New York. Do I need to arrange transportation?"

"Can you get us one of those portkey things?" Percy asked. "I'd rather not fly."

"That can be arranged," Dumbledore agreed.

"Perfect."

"How exactly is this camp safe?" asked McGonagall.

"Camp is protected by magical borders made by Zeus himself," Chiron said. "No monster and no mortal can enter without permission by someone inside. Plus, the border is guarded by a legendary dragon."

McGonagall and Snape both looked stunned as did the students. Percy nodded. "Plus, there is a lot of food and lots to do. It's the perfect place, really."

"Well then," said McGonagall, "I wish you both luck and a good summer. I'm afraid this evening has been much too exciting for me. Albus, inform me when you alert the Order. I need to get some rest."

They all said goodbye to her as she left the office. Snape left with her as well.

"We should get packing," Percy said. "We have a long trip waiting for us."

"The rest of you need to get ready for the train," Dumbledore said. "The train leaves in two hours for King's Cross."

They all left the office and went down the stairs. When they got down, Percy pulled Chiron aside and the two of them began speaking in hushed tones. A moment later Chiron patted Percy's arm and turned to leave.

"What was that about, Perce?" asked Tracey.

"Chiron is going to get my stuff for me," Percy said. "I have something to do in London before we leave for New York."

"So you're coming with us on the train?" Daphne asked hopefully. Percy gave her a smile and nodded. Daphne grinned and walked over and gripped his arm.

"Alright, Harry," Percy said, "I'll walk these little snakes to their common room if you, Hermione, and Ginny will head back to Gryffindor tower to start packing."

They all agreed, and the Gryffindors took off for their common room. Tracey and Daphne each held one of Percy's arms and guided him down into the dungeons to their common room. Percy, having escorted them down several times, had never actually been in their common room. When the arrived, they found it relatively empty. Percy found it all relatively comforting, noticing the windows looking into Black Lake casting a green hue on the room. That was where the comfort ended. The rest of the common room seemed to be taken directly out of some museum of the dark aspects of the Renaissance. Portraits of frightening looking wizards and witches hung on the walls, and the room was lit up by sconces alit with green fire. Percy held up a hand but didn't feel any heat. Not Greek fire.

"What do you think?" asked Tracey. Percy hesitated and the girls laughed. "Yep. Takes some getting used to."

"That's an understatement," Percy said. "Where is your room?"

Daphne pointed at one door. "Just down there. We're almost packed actually, so we shouldn't take long. I'd invite you back, but..."

"It's alright," Percy said, kissing her cheek. "I'll wait out here next to that tough looking kid over there."

Said kid looked up and scowled at the foreign Gryffindor. Percy waved seductively. Tracey and Daphne laughed and left for their room, so Percy walked over.

"Hello," Percy said, smiling. "I saw you looking at me."

"What are you doing here?" the boy spat.

"I'm actually spying," Percy said, looking around the room cautiously. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm planning on raiding this place. Got any tips?"

The boy rolled his eyes and stood up. "You're lucky to be alive, Jackson. You shouldn't have won the tournament."

Percy leaned back in his chair and shrugged. "I shouldn't have done a lot of things, whatever your name is."

"Bole," the kid said. "Lucian Bole."

"You a seventh year?" Percy asked. Bole sneered and left the common room for what Percy assumed was the boys' hall. Percy sighed. "I tried."

"What are you doing here?"

Percy turned and found Draco and his two sidekicks standing at the door to the boys' hall. "Oh, hello, Drake."

"Draco," Draco sneered. "You're supposed to be dead."

"And yet, here I am," Percy smiled. "And a thousand galleons richer too, actually. Has your dad every let you touch a galleon before? It's an interesting little coin."

Draco's eye twitched.

"Have you talked with your dad lately, Drake?" Percy continued. "I saw him last night, actually. Must say, I can see where you get your weasle-like traits from. The guy wouldn't stop kissing Voldy's ass."

"How dare you speak of my father or the Dark Lord that way?" Draco snarled, pulling out his wand. The other two boys scrambled to get theirs out of their robes. Percy just rolled his eyes.

"Really?" Percy asked. "Your dad and Voldywart couldn't touch me. What makes you think you can?"

"I bested you once."

"That's right," Percy nodded. "That was back when I was still a noob."

The sidekicks cocked their heads. One looked at Percy, "a noob?"

"You guys really don't go out into the regular world do you? A noob is a beginner, you know? Like an amateur."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "And you're not an amateur anymore."

Percy shook his head. "Care to try me?" For good measure, Percy allowed his eyes to glow. In all honesty, he hoped the boys would just leave him alone. He had exerted himself to the point of exhaustion already. He was ready to sleep for two days straight. Thankfully, Draco only spat and walked out of the common room along with his sidekicks. Percy sighed in relief and rested his head on the back of his chair. He wasn't sure when he fell asleep, but he woke up to the sudden weight on his lap. He opened his eyes, immediately alert, and found his senses overcome with the scent of lavender and gooseberries and brilliant, blonde hair.

"Umm, hello?" Percy murmured.

"Did I wake you?" Daphne smiled. Percy shrugged.

"Actually, I'm still asleep."

Daphne rolled her eyes and got off, letting Percy stand up. He looked around.

"Where are you trunks and stuff?"

Tracey stepped into the common room, closing the door to the girls' hall. "The house elves put them on the train."

"Lazy bums, all of you," Percy laughed. Tracey just grinned.

"Shall we head to the train?" Daphne asked. Percy motioned for them to lead the way. He followed the two girls out of the common room and up towards the Grand Entrance. Daphne put up her Ice Queen persona as they walked through the halls, doing her best to scare away all the students that were trying to leave the school at one time. When they found their own carriage, Percy stopped, staring in awe and not a little bit of fear at the creatures hitched to them. Daphne put a hand on his shoulder. "Percy?"

"What are those?" Percy asked.

"Why does everyone ask that stupid question?" asked the creature in front of him.

The one next to it shook its head. "They're all idiots. They can't see us unless they've seen death, and they never expect it."

"You know I can hear you two," Percy said. The two creatures turned sharply at him.

"Woah, wait, what?" asked the closest one.

Daphne eyed Percy suspiciously. "Who are you talking to?"

Percy looked at her. "You don't see them?"

"Hey, weirdo," said the creature, "she hasn't seen anybody die yet. She can't see us."

"Oh," Percy said softly, "they say you can't see them unless you've seen death."

Daphne blinked, but Tracey gasped quietly. Percy jumped, having forgotten she was there.

"Thestrals," Tracey said softly. "I've read about them."

"Oh look," said the creature, "she knows us!"

"He says you look pretty," Percy said. The creature stomped its hoof angrily.

"Bloody liar."

"You can talk to them?" Tracey asked in awe. Percy shrugged.

"I guess they're part of the horse family. My father created horses."

The creature furthest from them turned to him. "Your father?"

Percy nodded at it. "Poseidon."

"Shit!" the second creature said. "Reasin, this kid is a demigod. _The_ demigod."

Reasin's eyes widened. "Seriously?"

Percy nodded. "You don't need to make a big deal out of it. What's your name?"

"I'm Ciddan," said the second one. "We've heard about a demigod in Britain, but we never expected to meet it."

"Ta-da," Percy said sarcastically. "I don't want any trouble. I just want us to get to the train."

"Sure thing, boss," said Ciddan. "Let's take them down to the station, Reasin."

Reasin grumbled but bobbed his head. Percy himself felt his gut twinge in guilt. He thought of someone back home he had completely neglected. Blackjack was never going to let him live it down. Percy shook his head. He'd deal with the pegasus when he reached Camp.

"What are they saying?" asked Daphne softly.

"Not much," Percy shrugged. "They're going to take us down to Hogsmeade."

Percy let the girls get on the carriage first, then hopped on. Tracey seemed to be practically jumping in her seat.

"So can you speak to all horses?" she asked.

"Horses, pegasi, flesh-eating horses, fire-breathing horses, unicorns," Percy counted his fingers. "I guess thestrals too, now."

"Pegasi?" Tracey said, eyes wide. "Unicorns?"

"Flesh-eating horses?" Daphne asked. "They exist?"

Percy shivered. "Yep. Had to clean their poop one time while they tried to eat me. Managed to give them a nice bath which they hated so I threatened to give them another unless they promised to be good flesh-eating horses."

The girls blinked. Tracey leaned forward. "What?"

"A story for another time," Percy laughed. They rode the rest of the way in silence. When they arrived in Hogsmeade, Percy promised Reasin and Ciddan he would come back to speak to them and possibly bring apples. Then, he and the girls boarded the train and found Hermione, Ginny, and Ron in one of the compartments. Ron was less than thrilled to have Daphne and Tracey there, but a quick glare from Percy kept his mouth shut. Percy quickly fell asleep as the rest of them began playing card games. He was tired and his curse had finally caught up to him.

"Wake up, Perce," said Daphne softly, nudging him awake. "We're in London."

Percy's eyes opened, and he sat up. Everyone was standing up trying to get their luggage from the overhead compartments. Percy groaned and popped his back before standing up and helping them all.

"Are you going to tell us now why you're here?" asked Tracey.

Percy nodded. "I need to speak to all of your parents."

"Why?" asked Ginny.

"Patience, Ginny," Percy laughed. The girl glared, but Percy just grinned back at her. They all grumbled at Percy's stubbornness before leaving the train. Percy hung back a bit and told them all to bring their parents to him.

"Mrs. Weasley!" Percy said, seeing Ron and Ginny's mom. "It's so good to see you again."

"Oh, Percy," Mrs. Weasley smiled, "remember what I told you? It's Molly to you, dear."

Percy nodded. "Right, of course."

"How were the twins?" Molly asked.

Percy felt bad as he hadn't seen much of the pranksters since he had returned to Hogwarts after his mom's funeral. "I actually switched dorms with the fourth years after I missed so many classes at the beginning of this semester."

"Right," Molly said sadly. "I'm sorry about your mum, Percy."

Percy smiled and nodded. "I appreciate it."

The twins took that moment to appear, say hello, and run off. Molly growled at them but was distracted by Ron and Ginny telling her about their year. Percy looked around the platform and spotted Hermione and her parents. He waved them over.

"Mom, dad," Hermione said when they came over, "this is Percy. He just came this past year from America."

Percy shook their hands. "Nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Granger."

"Pleasure," said Mr. Granger, shaking Percy's hand. "My word, that is one strong grip, son."

"Dad was a soldier," Hermione said. She made eye contact with Percy and then tilted her head slightly in her parent's direction. Percy nodded. "Percy is a soldier too."

"Oh, he's a bit young for that, don't you think?" asked Mrs. Granger.

"A soldier, did you say?" asked Molly, joining the conversation.

"It's not exactly how you think," Percy said, "but basically, yes. I'll explain it more when everyone else gets here."

"Did someone say my name?" came Tracey's unmistakable voice.

"Nope," Percy shook his head. "Not once."

Tracey pouted. "Prat." She pointed at her parents. "Percy, these are my parents."

"A pleasure, Lord and Lady Davis," said Percy. Tracey's parents grinned at him, shaking his hand.

"None of that 'lord' stuff with us, Mr. Jackson," said Mr. Davis. Percy nodded.

"You must be Daphne's boyfriend," Mrs. Davis said.

"Daphne's what?" said another man, stepping towards them. Daphne stood beside him blushing, and a younger girl who Percy assumed to be Astoria, Daphne's younger sister, stood beside a gorgeous woman. Percy knew immediately that she was Daphne's mother. They both shared the same eyes and blonde hair.

"Daphne's boyfriend, Daniel," said Lady Greengrass. "Surely you heard Isabella."

Lord Daniel Greengrass stared at Percy. Outwardly, he maintained his stoic look of a stern father and respected member of the Wizengamot. Inwardly, he was astounded by how much Percy Jackson looked like a Greek hero. Percy was clearly Poseidon's son. There was also something else, something more familiar about him, that he just couldn't place.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both, Lord and Lady Greengrass," Percy said, shaking Daniel's hand and bowing to Alison Greengrass. "I'm afraid that the rumors are true. Daphne and I have become something of an item."

Alison and the other parents, even Molly Weasley, smiled at Percy and Daphne. Daniel appraised him a moment longer.

"I met with your father," Daniel said.

Percy nodded. "I asked him to speak with you and discuss...a matter of importance."

Daniel nodded slowly. The group was silent for a moment before Daniel grinned. "You hold yourself well, Jackson."

Percy shrugged and grinned back. "You have no idea."

"Well done on winning the tournament," said Michael Davis, cutting in and changing the subject away from whatever had just transpired between Daniel and Percy. The others all gave Percy their congratulations. Percy just smiled and thanked them.

"So what did you want to talk to us about?" Ginny asked, impatient as ever.

"I'm sure you all read in the papers what I claimed happened last night," Percy said. The parents all grew somber save for Hermione's parents who did not have access to the Prophet. "I'm afraid that he _is_ back."

"You're serious?" Daniel asked. It wasn't out of disbelief or suspicion. Percy nodded.

"I'm afraid so. And he has someone quite powerful on his side. The goddess of magic, Hecate, herself."

Everyone save Daniel narrowed their eyes.

"Hecate," said Mr. Granger, "the Greek goddess?"

Percy nodded again, his eyes never leaving Daniel's. "The Greek gods and mythology are all real. I'm part of that legacy."

"The Son of Poseidon?" asked Isabella.

"It's all true, dad," said Hermione. "I didn't believe it at first, but Percy is telling the truth."

"So what does this all mean?" asked Molly, ignoring Percy's claims for the moment.

Percy turned to everyone else. "Britain isn't safe anymore. Not for any of us here. Old Voldy will come after each of us. After your families."

Molly and the Davis gasped. Alison gripped her husband's arm fearfully. Percy held up a hand. "I wanted to speak to you all because there is somewhere you can all go to be safe this summer."

"Camp?" Daphne asked, surprised. Percy nodded at her.

"There is a place in New York that is completely safe. Nothing can break in. It is a beautiful place with food, shelter, and anything you could want. I realize that I am asking you all to leave your homes, but this is important."

"I-I cannot just uproot all of my family," said Molly.

"I realize it is stressful," Percy said, "believe me I do. But right now the most important thing is that you all keep your families safe. That isn't here in Britain."

"We accept," said Daniel. Everyone stared at the man. "We will join you in New York if you will have us."

Daphne beamed at her father.

"You really will?" asked Michael. "Daniel, this is America we are talking about."

"I believe everything that Mr. Jackson has said," Daniel told them all. "It is a lot to comprehend, but I do believe him. We cannot afford to risk our lives here. Not the lives of our children. I will take my family where it is safe."

Michael and Isabella whispered to each other for a moment before sighing and nodding. "Then we too will go." Tracey clapped happily.

"We are actually planning a family vacation ourselves," said Mr. Granger. "Perhaps Hermione can join you when we return?"

Percy nodded. "Certainly."

Hermione hugged her parents.

"We actually must be off," said Mrs. Granger. They said goodbye to Hermione and her parents and when they were gone, they all looked at Molly who was messing with the hem of her robes, uncertainly.

"I'll need to speak with Arthur about this..." she said.

"Dumbledore himself knows how safe this place is," Percy said. "Harry will be there with us."

Molly looked at him for a minute before sighing and nodding. "I will still need to speak with Arthur, but maybe we should go as well."

Ron and Ginny grinned.

"Are you sure there is enough room there for all of us?" asked Michael.

"Oh yes," Percy said, giving a small smile. "I don't think there will be many if any there this year."

Daphne squeezed his hand gently, and he squeezed it back, drawing comfort from her.

"Where do we meet you to go?" asked Daniel.

"We leave tonight," Percy said. The parents all looked shocked. "I realize it's soon, but the sooner we get to New York the better. Trust me. We will leave from Hogsmeade. If it is too much, I can have Dumbledore or someone come get your families and bring you there."

"If we are leaving tonight," said Alison, "then we better get home and pack."

"I will speak with Arthur when we get back to the Burrow," said Molly. "I would appreciate if Dumbledore could bring us to Hogsmeade."

"Of course," Percy smiled. "I need to get back to Hogwarts, but it was a pleasure to meet you all, and I will see you all tonight." Percy hugged and kissed Daphne's cheek goodbye and then turned and got back on the train which began leaving for the return trip to Hogwarts. Everyone else stared at the train as it left, they were the only ones left on the platform.

"This is all so bizzare," said Isabella. "We only just met the boy and now we are leaving for America."

"Trust me," said Daniel. "The boy can be trusted."

"How can you be so sure?" asked Michael.

"He's the Son of Poseidon."

"You really believe him?" Molly asked.

Daniel and Alison shared a look. "We do."

"Where exactly are we going in New York anyway?" asked Michael.

Tracey grinned at her dad and began bouncing in excitement. "We're going to Camp."

 **A/N: Woah, I know! It took me less than three weeks to update! The story is really picking up now, and I'm excited to really write more!**

 **Thank you so much to everyone that favorited, followed, and reviewed. You are the reason why I continue to write.**

 **Until next time! (Maybe even next week** ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ **)**

 **(This chapter is completely unbeta'd so please excuse all typos and grammar mistakes)**


	23. Chapter 23

"You have all of your clothes and toiletries packed, sweetheart?"

"Yes, mum," said Astoria, pointing at the trunk that Tiff had brought down from her room. "Why aren't you and father coming? You told Percy you would."

Alison frowned and pulled Astoria into a hug. "I know we did. But things have changed, and your father needs to stay to make sure the business is secure."

"Is this about Aunt Guinevere?"

Alison sighed and nodded.

"What is she going to do to the business?" asked Astoria.

"Plenty," said Daniel stepping into the room with Daphne. "My sister was brainwashed by You-Know-Who, and she will do anything to take our business' wealth for their cause."

"Is that why Tracey's parents aren't going either?" Astoria asked. Daniel nodded.

"Michael needs to stay and help me secure the business," he said.

Daphne sniffled and hugged her dad. "It won't be the same this summer without you."

"I know, sunshine," Daniel said, kissing the top of her head. "I wish we could go, believe me I do."

"You just want to see all of the Greek gods and stuff," said Astoria, letting go of her mother to hug Daniel.

Daniel gasped. "Am I that obvious?"

They all laughed softly, the air still somber. Guinevere Greengrass had once been Daniel's favorite sibling. The two of them had been very close until Guinevere had graduated from Hogwarts. She had run into several of You-Know-Who's Death Eaters and associates. They had brainwashed her into abandoning her family and taking up the mantle of Death Eater herself. Daniel hadn't been in charge of the business then. He was still working for his father. Guinevere had killed their father hoping to gain control of the business. That night, however, the Dark Lord had gone to the Potter's home and attempted to kill them all. Everyone knew what happened there. Somehow, Harry Potter had managed to not only survive the killing curse, he had also managed to kill the Dark Lord. Or so they all thought. Guinevere had gone mad and fled the country. Daniel, through his international business, had heard that she had travelled to somewhere near Turkey. Now, the Dark Lord was back, and Guinevere had returned to the country. A letter from her had been waiting for him when he returned from picking Daphne and Astoria up at King's Cross Station. Guinevere was going for the business, and she was offering Daniel the choice to give it up willingly or suffer the cost. Daniel had prayed to every Greek god he could think of, thanking them that Percy had offered a safe haven for his children. Alison refused to leave him alone.

"Are you both ready?" Daniel asked his daughters. They both nodded, and Daniel cast featherweight charms on both of their trunks. "Then we better be off. Alison, would you mind going through first?"

Alison grabbed a handful of floo powder from the pot on the fireplace mantle and threw it into the flames. "The Three Broomsticks!" She stepped into the green flames and disappeared. Astoria went next followed by Daphne. Daniel looked around their home before announcing his destination and stepping into the flames.

The Three Broomsticks was empty save for his family and the Davis who had already arrived. Daphne and Tracey were talking in hushed tones by the door and Astoria and Alison were speaking to Michael and Isabella. Daniel walked over, brushing soot off of his cloak.

"The sooner the kids get to this Camp place the better," Michael was saying. "It's only a matter of time before You-Know-Who's followers start going after all the pureblood families. Especially ours since I'm not a pureblood."

"You really think they'll come after _us_?" asked Isabella.

"You married a half-blood," Daniel said, interjecting. "The Death Eaters look down on that sort of thing."

"Evening Daniel," Michael nodded. Daniel nodded back.

"I agree with Michael. Let's find Percy and the others and make sure our kids are safe," he said. "Daphne, let's go, dear."

Daphne and Tracey lifted their trunks and followed the adults and Astoria out of the Three Broomsticks. The sun was still hanging in the air leaving the quiet village in an orange hue. They walked down the road to the train station and spotted Dumbledore, Percy, Harry, and the entire Weasley family standing by the tracks. They were also accompanied by two men that Daniel did not quite recognize.

"You made it," Percy said, smiling and approaching them. He gave Daphne a quick hug and then shook Daniel and Michael's hands. "The portkey leaves in about ten minutes."

"We need to talk, Percy," said Daniel. "Certain...incidents have arisen that Michael and I must take care of. We will be unable to join you in New York."

Percy blinked. "What?"

"I'm very sorry," Daniel said. "Believe me. I am. We would very much like to join you and our children, but we need to stay and protect our business from You-Know-Who. If he were to get his hands on our business, he would have access to international trade routes."

Percy nodded. "I understand."

"You do?" asked Michael.

"Sure," Percy said. "I may not be the child of Athena, but I know strategy. Protecting those trade routes could be really important for us going forward. Keeping them out of Voldemort's hands is a priority."

Everyone but Daphne and Tracey flinched. The two girls had grown accustomed to Percy and Harry both saying Voldemort's name. Daniel cleared his throat. "Yes, well, thank you very much for providing a safe place for our children. It goes without saying that you better keep them safe."

Percy nodded, his eyes firm. "With my life."

"We best be off," said Michael. He pulled Tracey into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Is there any way we can stay in contact?"

"We have a special communication system," Percy said. "We'll contact you when we arrive at Camp and get settled in."

The adults nodded and they said their goodbyes. The girls hugged and kissed their parents goodbye one last time before going with Percy over to where the rest of the group waited patiently. Tracey immediately rushed over and flung herself into Harry's arm. The twins began whispering amongst themselves while Sirius looked at them proudly.

"What about your parents?" asked Molly to the girls.

"They have to protect the family business," said Astoria walking over to talk with Ginny. The two girls shared a few classes, and Ginny was the only one Astoria really knew.

"Such a shame," Molly said sadly. "I do hope they stay safe."

"They will," Daphne said, holding Percy's hand.

"Are we ready then?" asked Dumbledore. Everyone nodded that they were ready, and Dumbledore held out an old sock to Percy. "This should drop you off at the bottom of the hill."

Percy took it and nodded. "Tradition?"

"Quite right," Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling. The others all looked confused except for Chiron who grinned.

"Alright, just a few minutes left," Percy said, holding the sock out. "Everyone get in here."

It was a great pile of bodies that crowded around the sock. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley with the twins, Ron and Ginny, Sirius, Chiron, Daphne, Tracey, Astoria, Percy, and Harry all somehow managed to put a hand on the sock. They waited anxiously until they felt the pull on their navels. Unlike a normal portkey, an international portkey has more pull as it must transport a person across a greater distance. It was all that Percy could do to hang on to the sock and not wretch. Portkeys took a lot out of him. Whether it was due to the foreign form of transportation coming to odds with the godly essence within his blood or just the Curse of Achilles, Percy wasn't sure. When he had taken Sirius to Hogsmeade so many months earlier, he had been at full energy so it had not affected him much. Last night, though, when Wormtail had abducted Percy, he had not had much energy left in him. He hadn't eaten much the previous day or gotten much rest mostly due to nerves. He had remembered to eat a good dinner before taking this last portkey, but the distance plus his lack of rest the last two days were weakening him by the second. Just when he felt he was about to pass out, the portkey landed. Everyone collapsed to the ground. It seemed that not even the wizards who were accustomed to the form of transportation were immune to the international portkey's strength.

"Percy?" Daphne asked, nudging him. "Percy are you okay?"

Percy mumbled something unintelligible.

"What?" she asked, growing more and more concerned. Everyone else had managed to get back on their feet-or wheelchair in Chiron's case. "Percy, wake up!"

They were completely surrounded by trees. Just as Dumbledore had said, they were at the bottom of a large hill. Though it had been evening when they'd left, it was still mid afternoon. The sun shone through the trees in broken light. Something cried out in the distance that chilled them to the bone.

"We need to get up the hill," said Chiron, leaping out of his wheelchair. Astoria, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, and Sirius gaped at the centaur that now stood before them. "Quickly, put Percy on my back."

Together, Harry and Daphne levitated Percy's body up onto Chiron's back.

"We need to hurry," the centaur said, turning and trotting up the hill. They followed quickly behind, carrying their trunks, and thanking Merlin for featherweight charms.

"What was that sound, Chiron?" Harry asked as he ran to keep up with him.

"A hellhound," Chiron said seriously. The group nearly stopped, fearful, but another howl in the distance spurred them on.

"You're serious?" asked Ron. "A bloody hellhound?"

"Dead serious," said Chiron.

Molly was concentrating too hard to keep up with the group despite her size to berate her soon for his language.

They neared the crest of the hill when there was a mighty roar from behind them. Chiron turned and paled. He reached back and smacked Percy's face. "Percy! Wake up! Dammit, boy, wake up!" When Percy didn't wake, Chiron scrambled to reach for a pouch that hung around his human waist. He pulled out a small square and turned back and shoved it in Percy's mouth. "Eat!"

Percy's eyes shot open. The last thing he remembered was holding the sock and being ripped out of Britain. He expected to be at the hill leading up to Camp, but he had no idea where he was. He was laying on a soft bed. The scent of the ocean filled his nose comforting him. Percy sat up and looked around. He was in Poseidon's cabin. He looked out the windows, but there was nothing outside the cabin. The only light was from the shell sconces around the cabin. Percy stood up and approached the door. Where was everyone? How had he gotten to his cabin?

"Don't leave just yet."

Percy spun around, reaching for his pocket on instinct to grab Anaklusmos only to find he didn't have pockets.

"Relax, Perseus," said a shadow in the corner of the cabin. "I'm not here to hurt you."

"Who are you?" Percy demanded. The shadow stood up and stepped into the light. Percy's eyes widened. The shadow was a man about the same height as Percy with black hair and tanned skin. He wore a blue tunic that Percy instantly recognized as coming from ancient Greece. When the man looked into Percy's eyes, Percy gasped. The man's eyes were sea green identically to his own. Another son of Poseidon. "Who are you?"

"You and I are one in the same," the man said, approaching the fountain in the middle of the cabin. He reached out and let the water fall on his hand.

"That doesn't make sense," Percy said. "Are you my brother? How did I even get here? Where are my friends?"

The man wiped his hand off on his tunic. "Please try and relax, Perseus. It will all be easier to explain if you relax. No, I'm not your brother. As for how you got here, you are always here, Perseus. Your friends are right where you left them. We have gone anywhere."

Percy blinked. "What?"

"Look around you," the man said. "Does this cabin really look right to you?"

"No," Percy said after looking around. "Not exactly. If I'm not at Camp Half-Blood where exactly am I?"

"You're smart, Perseus. Figure it out."

Percy glared at him and looked around. He tried to look for what he was supposed to be looking for when he realized that it wasn't what he was supposed to look for but what he was supposed to feel. He felt lucid, as though he were being pulled around rather than moving of his own free will. "I'm dreaming."

"Closer," the man said. "You're in your mind. The last two days have taken a heavy toll on your mind, Perseus. You did not eat enough to provide your body and mind with enough energy to handle the task. You didn't get enough rest and now travelling using a portkey has completely destabilized your mind."

"Destabilized my mind?" Percy's eyes widened. "I'm in a coma?"

"Not exactly. But close. You need ambrosia and nectar."

"Chiron has some," Percy said. "At least, he's supposed to."

"Then your mind should heal soon," the man said.

"You never answered my question," Percy said. "Who are you? And don't give me that bullshit 'you and I are the same.'"

The man chuckled and moved to sit down in a chair beside the fountain. He snapped his finger and another chair appeared for Percy to sit.

"You're a god?" Percy asked.

"No. Not a god."

"Then how did you conjure the chair?"

"We are in your mind. It is just an illusion."

"So you can control my mind?" Percy asked.

The man shook his head. "Control is a bad way of putting it. I am part of your mind."

"Part of my mind? That doesn't make any sense! Just tell me your name!" Percy's face turned red in frustration.

"Ah, and there lies the correct question you should ask," the man said. "What is my name. Names have power, Perseus."

"Just tell me."

"I have been called many things in my life," the man said. "Or, lives, I should say."

"Lives? I thought you were my mind?"

"Hush," the man said. "You asked my name. Let me finish."

Percy blushed and nodded.

"Yes, I meant lives. I am part of your mind, Percy, but not as a figment of your imagination. I am you. You are me," the man said. "I was once part of the Argonauts in ancient Greece. I once helped Attica unify under the authority of Athens. I was once a king."

Percy's mind scrambled to try and remember his Greek history. He could not think of a name.

"I was also a son of Poseidon," the man continued. "I was also Athena's champion."

Percy furrowed his brow. Athena's champion? Athena hated Poseidon as well as his children. All except...Percy looked up at the mind, eyes wide. "Theseus."

Theseus nodded, smiling. "So there is a brain in there after all."

Percy shook his head. "What...how?"

"Perseus, what do you know of the afterlife?" Theseus asked.

"You mean Elysium?"

Theseus nodded.

"I know that it is where those that lived good lives go," Percy said. "I have many friends there. My mom and Paul are there."

"And you also trained with Jason and Medea," Theseus said.

"How did you know that?"

"Do I really have to explain it again? I am you. You are me."

Percy shook his head. "I don't know what that means?"

"Then think," Theseus demanded. "Besides Elysium what else exists in the afterlife?"

"The Fields of Asphodel and the Fields of Punishment," Percy said. "That doesn't answer the question.

"You are forgetting something," Theseus said, rubbing his eyes in annoyance. "You are giving me a bad name here."

Percy frowned. What was he forgetting? It clicked. "The Isles of the Blest."

"Ding ding ding! We have a winner!" Theseus said, sarcastically.

"You are trying to enter the Isles of the Blest."

Theseus nodded.

"So," Percy said slowly. "You went for rebirth, and...you were reborn as me?"

"I watched as many of my friends chose for rebirth," Theseus said, looking into the fountain. "Oedipus, Perseus-your name sake, and Odysseus. They all went for rebirth long ago. They've each had second lives. Odysseus has already reached the Isle of the Blest. Perseus I think is still waiting for his final rebirth."

"So you only just recently chose to be reborn?" Percy asked.

"16 years ago," Theseus nodded. "I didn't expect to be reborn as another son of Poseidon. Certainly made the change easier."

"Is that why I am so strong?" Percy asked, trying to understand everything.

"You hold my knowledge in your mind," Theseus said. "You have your own strength as a son of Poseidon, but yes, _our_ strength is in our shared past and knowledge."

"Okay," Percy said slowly. "But, I am confused. If I am you, how are we...you know...separate?"

"How are we having this conversation?" Theseus asked. Percy nodded. "I am a manifestation of your memories as Theseus. I am not a separate entity, Perseus. I told you the truth when I said that I am you. I am your mind. I am simply an embodiment of those memories and the knowledge that is locked somewhere deep within your mind. Truth be told, we should never have had this conversation. Souls are not meant to know that they have been reborn. Otherwise everyone would achieve the Isles of the Blest."

"So how is this happening then?"

"Because of your incompetence," Theseus said. "Your failure to get proper rest and nutrition destabilized your mind. Your destabilized mind broke the locks so to speak releasing your memories. You are near coma because your mind is fighting hard to heal and piece together your identity as Perseus with your identity as Theseus."

"You said ambrosia and nectar will heal me," Percy said. Theseus shrugged.

"They'll help speed up the healing process for sure."

"This is...this is insane," Percy said.

"I realize it is a lot to take in. If it weren't, you wouldn't be struggling to wake up."

"Will I ever be able to speak with you again?" Percy asked.

"I believe so," Theseus said. "But only in your dreams. I am not sure how this works exactly. Like I said, you weren't supposed to unlock these memories. Not yet at least. Not until you reached Elysium again. Or anywhere else for that matter."

"And Daphne?" Percy asked. Theseus smiled. "Will I not see her after I die?"

"There is something special about that one," Theseus said. At Percy's look, Theseus shook his head. "That, I cannot say. You will figure it out one day. All I can say is that the myths...they're all wrong. Changes forced by an arrogant god."

Percy frowned. "What does that mean?"

"You need to figure it out for yourself," Theseus shook his head. "I cannot help you, Perseus." Theseus looked around. "The ambrosia is now healing your mind. We do not have much time. We'll speak again, Perseus."

"When?"

"I am not sure," Theseus shrugged. He then stood up and walked over to Percy. He pulled him out of his seat and then gripped Percy's shoulders. "I am proud of you Perseus. You are a stronger and better hero than I ever was."

"Isn't that a bit egotistical?" Percy asked, smirking. "Considering we are one in the same?"

Theseus laughed. "Perhaps. But since you never allow yourself to be boastful, I will have to be enough for both of us."

Percy grinned.

"It is time for you to awake," Theseus said. "Protect your friends, Perseus. Save Harry. Do not make the same mistakes I did."

"Wait, what mistakes?" Percy asked.

"Go!" Theseus pointed. The room darkened and everything faded to black. Then Percy coughed. Rather, he choked, his eyes widened as he gasped for air.

"Percy!" shouted Daphne. Percy's eyes looked around wildly. He was fully awake now and standing on the hill leading up to Camp. "Percy, you're awake!"

"Percy, are you okay, son?" asked Chiron. Percy took a deep breath and nodded, looking at the centaur.

"I am," Percy said. "Thanks for the ambrosia." Percy slid off Chiron's back and then heard the howling. "Hellhounds?"

Chiron nodded.

" _Di immortales_ ," Percy cursed. He turned to the others. "Go. Hurry up the hill. I give all of you permission to enter Camp Half-Blood."

His friends looked ready to argue, but Percy pointed towards the crest of the hill. It wasn't a suggestion. With one last look of worry, Daphne nodded and turned to go up the hill, the others following her. Percy turned back to the sound of howling and uncapped Anaklusmos. He looked at Chiron. "You ready?"

Chiron's spear appeared in his hand. "Ready."

The first hellhound pounced into the small clearing they were in. Behind them, the wizards all shrieked seeing the monster for the first time. A second and third hellhound leaped into the clearing. Percy gripped his sword tighter. The trees were still rustling when a roar rang through the clearing. Percy and Chiron froze in fear.

"What is that?" shouted Harry, his voice distant. Percy turned and saw that they were almost to the top of the hill.

"Go! We'll take care of it!" he shouted. Harry seemed to be weighing his options when he shook his head and raced back down the hill. "What the Hades are you doing?"

Tracey, Daphne, and Ginny followed a moment later, racing down the hill. Harry panted slightly when he made it to them.

"Get back up the hill, Harry," Chiron said.

Harry shook his head. "No. I won't let you do this alone."

Another roar shook the ground.

"What is that?" asked Tracey when they reached them.

"Why won't you guys listen?" Percy asked.

"Because we want to help," Daphne said, looking at him seriously. "You won't push me aside, Jackson. I'm helping."

Percy sighed and then pointed. "Then all of you behind me and Chiron. You help only if you have a clear shot. Do not engage unless you have to."

A third roar.

"What is that?" Tracey asked again, nervously. The trees snapped at their roots and a monster, vastly outsizing the hellhounds, stomped into the clearing. It had a long neck and its jaw was lined with thousands of razor sharp teeth. "Is that a dragon?"

"It's a drakon," Percy said. "A monster born of Gaia. They're much older than dragons."

"That's not just any drakon," Chiron said, gripping his spear tighter. "Percy, that's the Lydian Drakon."

" _Málaka_!" Percy sneered. He turned his head, but didn't take his eyes off the drakon which had not noticed them just yet. "This is not up for discussion. All of you need to get out of here now. Get to the top of the hill when I say. This is an order."

"We want to help," Ginny said.

"You can't help!" Percy said sternly. "The Lydian Drakon can only be killed by a child of Ares. The best we can do is hold it off until we reach camp. Chiron and I will hold it back while you guys run."

"We can't just leave you!" Daphne said.

"You have no choice," Percy said. "On the count of three, you start running. One...two...three!"

His friends hesitated only for a moment before they turned and ran back up the hill. The Lydian Drakon, seeing their movement, roared and rushed towards them. The hellhounds followed closely behind. Percy and Chiron growled and charged forward. Chiron, using his spear, drew the Drakon off to the side, clipping its wing as he charged past. Percy, storming to the left, slid beneath the Drakon's wing as it turned towards Chiron, and plunged his blade into the side of a hellhound which burst into dust.

With Chiron distracting the Darkon for the moment, Percy took the fight to the hellhounds. He rushed towards the second hound and slashed Anaklusmos, making a large gash in the monster's side. The hound roared in anger and lept to the side. Percy dodged it's claws as it lunged forward, but inadvertently turned his back on the third hellhound. The third hound, seeing its opportunity, pounced on Percy's back, digging its claws into Percy's skin. When it's claws didn't pierce Percy's skin, the monster only clung harder, scratching even more. Percy roared in pain and fell backwards, landing on the hound, and dropping Anaklusmos.

The second hound attacked again, clamping it's jaws on Percy's left arm while the third managed to get out from under the demigod and clamped on his neck. Percy choked, and flung his right arm trying to connect. The hound biting his neck exploded into dust as Chiron charged past. Percy gasped.

"Thanks!" he rasped out as his fingers found Anaklusmos' hilt. He stabbed the last hellhound, killing it instantly. Percy pulled himself up to his feet just as the Drakon lashed out with it's tail, knocking him back several feet into a tree. Chiron charged the Drakon again, but the monster was smart and was expecting Chiron's fast attacks. When the centaur lunged with his spear, the Drakon allowed the spearhead to stab it's side but slashed Chiron's body with sharp talons. Chiron stumbled and collapsed to the ground. The Darkon brought up a claw to deal the killing blow.

"No!" Percy shouted. The Drakon turned a moment after Anaklusmos left Percy's hand, spinning in the air. The blade connected with the monster's neck, making a deep gash. All it did was anger the beast. Percy bent his knees, getting low to the ground, ready to dodge and roll out of the way as the Drakon turned towards him, forgetting the injured centaur. "Come fight me!"

The Drakon roared, and Percy could faintly hear his friends shouting something. The monster charged forward, its wings propelling him faster across the ground than should be possible for something its size. Percy ducked as its tail lashed out, smashing the tree behind him. Percy rolled to his left when the Drakon's claw came down. The beast roared, but the sound was drowned out by four powerful horns atop the hill. Percy looked up, ready to shout at his friends, when his eyes widened in utter surprise.

"Archers!" shouted a familiar voice. "Fire!"

A volley of arrows rained down the hill towards the Drakon. Percy pulled out his shield and ducked behind it. Every arrow met its mark making the Drakon stumble backwards. Percy barely rolled out of the way, the Drakon coming too close to crushing him. He looked back up the hill.

"Charge!"

Percy watched as an army wearing full armor and carrying spears raced down the hill in uniform formation. At the head of the attack was a tall girl wearing only a breastplate and holding a spear in front of her that crackled in electricity. Clarisse La Rue. Percy shouted in victory as the demigod army crashed into the now standing Drakon. The monster swung it's claws, but the army attacked with brutal precision. In moments, the monster collapsed to the ground with one last roar. Clarisse stepped forward and with a growl, brought her spear down and impaled the monster's neck. The Drakon burst into dust dead.

"Do I always need to help save your ass, Prissy?" Clarisse asked, looking at Percy with a smirk. Percy laughed and stepped forward and pulled her into a hug.

"It's good to see you Clarisse. I've actually missed you."

"Yeah, yeah, don't get all sappy on me," she said, grinning as she pulled back from the hug. "Argus said that there was a group of mortals approaching camp and when we got to Thalia's tree we heard the Drakon. You're lucky we got here when we did."

Percy nodded. "Chiron needs help." He looked over to where Chiron had fallen only to see a couple of demigods kneeling beside the centaur and providing aid.

"Apollo campers," Clarisse said, answering his question. "It's been a busy and crazy year."

"How are there so many of you?" Percy asked, looking around at the demigod army that was now heading back up the hill.

"We can talk back in the Big House," she said. "Let's just get Chiron to the infirmary and get you and your friends some food. Your friends looked completely lost."

"I don't think any of them have ever left Britain," Percy shrugged and looked around for his suitcase that he had dropped at somepoint when they had arrived with the portkey. He spotted it by a tree nearby. "Plus, they just stepped into our world. Bit of a change there."

Clarisse nodded and they walked up the hill in silence. Percy's friends had already been taken within the camp's borders and were presumably on their way to the Big House where they would be staying. Camp didn't exactly have a mortal people cabin. Percy took a moment before going to the Big House to stop by the Poseidon cabin. The scent of the ocean breeze lingered in the air. It was exactly as it had been before the battle. Percy sighed and threw his suitcase onto his bed. He would unpack later.

"Hey," came Daphne's gentle voice. Percy turned and found his girlfriend standing in the doorway. She looked around the cabin and smiled. "This is beautiful. Are all the cabins like this?"

"Each one is different based on the god or goddess," Percy said, walking over and pulling her into a hug. "Are you okay?"

"Am I okay?" she asked incredulously, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. "You were the one that nearly died on me!"

"I..." Percy blushed. "Apparently sleep and food is a lot more important than I thought it would be."

Daphne smacked him on the back of the head and he yelped. "You're an idiot."

"Forgive me?" he murmured into her neck. Daphne smiled as he nuzzled into her. She pulled back, her smile replaced with a stern, icy glare.

"Don't do that again. Understand?"

Percy gulped and nodded. "I understand."

"Good," Daphne whispered, kissing his cheek. "The others are waiting for us over at that house thing."

"The Big House."

"That's really what you call it?"

Percy shrugged. "It fits doesn't it?"

Daphne laughed and took his arm. "Come on."

They walked together, leaving the Poseidon cabin, and headed to the Big House. Percy looked around and was surprised to see so much activity around the camp. It certainly wasn't as much as it had been previous summers, but it was more than he had ever expected to see so soon after the battle. Many of the campers looked the same with blonde or light brown hair. Percy just rolled his eyes. It seemed as though Apollo and Hermes had taken it upon themselves to increase the demigod population themselves.

Percy and Daphne reached the Big House and found their friends and a few camp leaders all sitting around the ping pong table. Grover was sitting at the table, but instead of eating the ping pong balls as Percy expected, he was holding a bag of ice to the back of his head. Percy took a seat next to him and laughed. Grover glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

"I'm guessing Juniper wasn't too happy with you taking off for England?"

Grover blushed and shook his head. "She was upset yeah. I didn't realize she could hit so hard."

"Juniper is a nymph," Percy explained to Tracey and Daphne. "And Grover's girlfriend."

"You are dating a nymph?" Tracey asked. "What's that like?"

"Alright everyone," said a man, stepping into the room for the first time. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and looked as though he had a massive hangover. "Let's get this over with so I can go back to bed."

"Mr. D," Chiron said. "I thought your punishment was over."

"It was reduced to 75 years from 100," Mr. D said, glaring at Chiron. "You're finally back."

"The gods wanted me to be with Percy," Chiron said. Mr. D just rolled his eyes and looked around.

"Who are all these people?"

"My friends," Percy said. "It's good to see you up and about Mr. D."

"Ah, Perry," Mr. D replied. "Not dead yet? Congratulations."

Daphne and Percy's other friends all glared at him.

"Who do you think you are, talking like that?" Molly Weasley asked incredulously. "Honestly, asking a child such a question."

Mr. D glared at her. "Who is she, Johnson?"

"Molly Weasley," Percy said, rolling his eyes at the wrong name. "Mrs. Weasley, everyone, this is Mr. D, our camp director. Mr. D, these are my friends from Britain."

"Whatever," Mr. D glared at them all before turning to Clarisse. "Hurry up and get this over with, Claire."

"Clarisse," Clarisse sneered at him. She looked at Percy and Chiron. "After the battle, the Council of Cloven Elders realized that Grover truly is Pan's successor." Grover blushed. "Knowing that, they were able to reassign the satyrs from searching for Pan to search for demigods. They've been bringing in more and more demigods every month. Mostly children of Ares, Hermes, and Apollo."

"I knew it," Percy murmured to Grover. "Those three never could keep it in their pants."

"So," Clarisse continued, "we've been rebuilding camp. Mr. D told us that you and some friends would be coming soon and would need a place to stay this summer. We prepared the Big House for you all."

"You weren't supposed to mention me," Mr. D glared at Clarisse who glared back.

"Too late," she said.

"You really do care, Mr. D!" Percy said loudly. Mr. D growled and stood up and left the room.

"He is not a pleasant man," Molly said to her husband who nodded.

"He seemed hungover," Arthur Weasley said.

"Mr. D is not allowed to touch alcohol for another 50 years or so," Chiron said. "It is his punishment."

Harry looked at him confused. "Punishment for what?"

"Another time," Chiron shook his head. "Right now I am sure you are all tired from our long journey and the time difference. Clarisse, can you show them to their rooms?"

Clarisse nodded and they all stood up. She led the group except for Percy upstairs to their rooms. Percy leaned back in his chair and looked around.

"I didn't think I would ever be back here this soon."

"It'll never be the same without our friends," Grover nodded sadly. He looked at Percy. "You should get some rest. Chiron told me what happened on Half-Blood Hill. You need to take better care of yourself."

Percy nodded with a yawn and stood up. "I'll see you tomorrow, man."

"Have a good one, Percy."

"Goodnight, Chiron," Percy said. Chiron waved goodnight and then rolled away to head for his own room. Percy left the Big House and headed for his cabin. Loud music was blaring from the Apollo cabin, and Percy could hear shouting from the Hermes cabin. Must be Call of Duty night, Percy mused. Thankfully, Poseidon hadn't had any more children leaving the cabin empty for Percy. Percy walked inside and then sat down on his bed. It had been an exhausting day, and he could only assume the rest of the summer would be tiring as well. He had training to complete, and he also had friends to train. Hecate would be spending the summer growing an army and recruiting people to her side.

Percy looked at the fountain in the middle of his cabin. He only hoped that he could get his friends prepared for the upcoming conflict. He had a bad feeling that their fifth year at Hogwarts would be a miserable one. Percy chuckled. Maybe he would get expelled? It was tradition, after all.

 **A/N: I apologize for the shortness of this chapter. I could not justify adding more to this when I've already dropped the Perseus/Theseus twist. Let me know what you guys think of it! I've been dropping some hints about it, so if anyone had even the slightest inkling of an idea this would happen, have a free cookie! On me.**

 **Thank you so much to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed this story. You are all beautiful.**

 ****IMPORTANT NOTICE: There is a new story in the works...I will not post it until I have at least 5 chapters finished, but I am sharing the progress on my discord server. If you are interested in this new story, you should come and join! Link to my server is in my profile description. AND for those of you that are worried that this will take time away from EoD, fear not, because I am still 100% devoted to this story. Okay, notice over. Look for the new story in the coming weeks. Hopefully no more than a month or so.****


	24. Chapter 24

The cool breeze of the summer air blew through the cabin, waking Percy up. He sat up, expecting to see the cobblestone walls of his dorm at Hogwarts and was pleasantly reminded by the seashells around him that he was back in his cabin at camp. A year ago, he had been fighting in the Labyrinth and then preparing to take the Titans head on in the city. Now, after everything that had happened, he was back at camp with a group of witches and wizards he had met in Britain after being tricked by the goddess Hecate. Percy picked up the minotaur horn that sat on the nightstand by his bed. If only twelve year old Percy had known what was going to happen.

Groaning as he got up from the most comfortable bed he'd slept in in a year, Percy stood up and went to shower. He saw a few familiar faces as he stepped outside and went to the showers. It was a Saturday so many campers were sleeping in, but the few that were up waved at him as he walked by. He found an empty stall at the far end and turned on the water. Immediately, his foggy brain cleared up and he felt more energized as though he had drank four shots of espresso at once.

"Oi, boss, get your ass out of the shower right now so I can shove my hoof up your-"

"Okay!" Percy shouted, smiling to himself. He had been wondering when he would see his old friend. He turned off the water and got changed quickly, not wanting to test his friend's patience any further. He stepped outside and was immediately kicked in the chest.

"Idiot," said the pegasus standing above him. Percy groaned and pulled himself up to his feet.

"You're lucky I still have the Achilles curse, Blackjack."

"You're lucky I don't kill you for abandoning me," Blackjack said.

Percy frowned and patted the pegasus' mane. "I know, bud. I'm sorry. I had to go to Britain and there's not really any room to hide a pegasus there."

"Still could have told me," Blackjack neighed angrily. "You owe me two barrels of apples and five pounds of sugar cubes."

"Five pounds?" Percy's eyes bugged out. "No way. I'll give you a barrel of apples and one pound of sugar cubes."

"Two barrels of apples and a pound and a half of sugar cubes."

Percy stared at him for a moment before nodding. "Fine. Two barrels of apples and a pound and a half of sugar cubes."

"Glad to have you back, boss!" Blackjack said cheerfully.

"You're an ass," Percy grumbled but patted him. "It's good to see you, Blackjack."

"It'll be good to see you too when you get me my apples and sugar," Blackjack said. Percy laughed.

"I'll get them to you tomorrow."

Blackjack nodded and lifted his wings to take off.

"Wait!" Percy said. Blackjack looked at him. "I have some good friends that came with me that will want a ride later."

"Do I have to?" Blackjack whined.

Percy nodded. "Unless you want half a barrel of apples and no sugar cubes."

"You're cruel, boss. Fine. I'll give them a ride. But if they are super heavy it's a no go."

"You'll be just fine," Percy said. Blackjack neighed and then took off for the stables. Percy watched him leave and rubbed his chest where he had been kicked. It was certainly better than what he had expected. Blackjack had once threatened to stampede him if he ever abandoned him. Percy wasn't sure if he should be glad or terrified to have such a loyal friend.

"Prissy, let's get going," Clarisse said, stepping out of the showers. "I thought you'd be at breakfast by now."

"I was talking with Blackjack," Percy said, following Clarisse to the dining pavilion.

"One of the Aphrodite girls tried to ride him a few weeks ago," she said as they walked. "He sent her to the infirmary for the rest of the day."

Percy frowned. "What happened then?"

"He was given a ban on sugar and apples for the next year."

"Oh," Percy said with a frown. "I just promised him a ton of the stuff."

Clarisse rolled her eyes. "Figures."

"Morning, Percy." They turned to see Daphne walking up to them, smiling brightly at Percy. Percy smiled back and looked at Clarisse.

"Go on ahead, I'll see you in the arena after breakfast."

Clarisse gave a knowing smirk before nodding and heading into the pavilion. Percy turned to Daphne and pulled her into a hug.

"Get any rest?" he asked her. She curled into his embrace, resting her head on his chest.

"Tracey and I could barely sleep," she admitted. "It's one thing to know you're from an entirely different world than us...it's something else to actually step into your world. All of this...camp...it's strange."

Percy pulled away so he could look at her. "Is that a bad thing?"

"No," she smiled. "It's exciting. But it also took us a while to get to sleep. There were strange sounds coming from downstairs."

"Ah," Percy nodded. "That would probably be the harpies. They do the dishes at night when they're not enforcing curfew. They use lava to clean the dishes."

"Lava?" Daphne asked, eyes wide. "You're joking aren't you?"

Percy laughed and shook his head. "I'm not."

"This place is weird," she said before she looked at the pavilion. "Tracey and the others are waiting over there for us."

"What table are you guys sitting at?" he asked.

"We're sitting at the table with Chiron."

Percy nodded. He had figured they would sit either there or at the Hermes table. Though the gods had sworn to claim their kids to prevent the Hermes cabin from overcrowding, there were still many children of Hermes. Percy was sure that it irked Artemis to no end. Stepping into the dining pavilion, Percy could clearly see just how active the satyrs had been. There were hundreds of campers sitting at various tables eating and laughing. It was a bittersweet scene.

"Morning, Percy!" Tracey said energetically. Percy eyed her warily.

"I thought Daphne said you didn't get much sleep last night."

"I didn't," Tracey said, smiling. "But these pancakes are delicious and filled with sugar."

Mrs. Weasley hummed from her spot. Percy figured that the Weasley matriarch did not appreciate not having a part in fixing meals. Percy sat down with Daphne beside Tracey, across from Hermione, Harry, and Ginny. Ron and the twins sat on the other side of their parents. Though the twins looked quite excited to be there, their eyes fixating on the Hermes table and the pranks being plotted, Ron looked quite miserable. Percy figured it had to do with how he had pulled away from Harry and Hermione. Being stuck in a new place completely out of his element would certainly make the boy feel uncomfortable, but to be stuck in a new place with friends he had barely spoken to...Percy almost felt bad.

"So how did you all sleep?" Percy asked the three across from him.

"Ginny and I slept well," Hermione said, smiling.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I had to cast a calming charm on her to get her to fall asleep. She kept wanting to raid the book shelves."

"You used magic?" Mrs. Weasley asked incredulously. "Ginevra!"

Percy chuckled. "It's alright, Molly. This camp is completely hidden from your government. There's no way they'd be able to trace any use of magic here."

Mrs. Weasley hummed but nodded. Ginny grumbled at the use of her full name before stuffing an entire pancake in her mouth.

"Are all Weasley's the same?" Tracey asked, amused.

Harry and Hermione nodded enthusiastically while Ginny blushed.

"It's alright," Daphne said, laughing. "Astoria isn't much better."

They all turned to look at the girl who was sitting on the other side of Tracey, her own mouth filled with pancake. Astoria blushed as they all laughed. Percy stood up to go grab a plate of food, patting Astoria's shoulder as he walked by. They had barely ever spoken before, but Percy liked Daphne's little sister. She was feisty and stubborn.

Percy grabbed a plate of pancakes and walked over to the fireplace. He cut off a corner of his food and tossed it into the fire for his father. Percy walked back over to his friends and sat down.

"So what's the plan for the day?" Daphne asked, nudging his shoulder.

"Well, I think Chiron has a video explaining Camp Half-Blood you guys will watch," Percy said. Chiron nodded. "I will be training in the arena until you finish with that, and then I'll give you guys a tour of the place."

Breakfast went by quickly. They were all excited to get started with the day and see what Camp Half-Blood had to offer. Daphne gave Percy a quick hug before he left them to head to the arena. The Hephaestus cabin had certainly been busy since last summer. The arena looked more like a modern sports stadium than it did an ancient Greek building. Percy walked into the stadium before his breath hitched. Instead of banners promoting famous athletes, the stadium was filled with large banners honoring all the demigods that had perished last summer. Percy walked around slowly, smiling sadly up at the faces of Annabeth, the Stoll twins, Charlie, Silena, Nico.

"The Apollo cabin did that," Clarisse said softly, stepping beside him. They looked up at the final banner. It was showed Nico and Percy fighting side by side. "They tried to send us to New Rome, and we managed to stay there for about a month before we needed to leave. There is still too much beef between us all. We came back to Camp and Grover immediately sent satyrs out to bring more demigods. With the gods following their promise to you, we have found many, many more than ever before. The new Hephaestus cabin decided to rebuild the Camp, and the Apollo cabin decided to put up banners in honor of everyone we lost."

Percy wiped a tear from his eye and smiled. "It's amazing. I'm sure they would have loved it."

"So what about you, Prissy? What has been going on with you?" Clarisse asked. "Will has come through here a few times when he's not off performing in Europe. He said that you were at some magic school in England?"

"It's a long story," Percy said. "I'll tell you while we train."

Clarisse nodded and they headed towards the center of the stadium. The center was just as Percy remembered. There were racks of weapons and armor on the sides and a large opening covered in sand for them to fight.

"Full armor?" Percy asked.

"Let's go light today," Clarisse said. She smirked. "I don't want to hurt you too bad your first time back."

Percy rolled his eyes but smiled back as they headed towards the center of the arena. He pulled out Anaklusmos and uncapped the blade. Clarisse pulled out her own spear and they hunched back on their heels, preparing to spar.

"I had a dream last summer," Percy said as he swung his sword at her. "Hecate and Hestia came to me and told me that there was a boy-Harry-in England with a prophecy over his head. A prophecy probably even worse than our Great Prophecy."

"Hades," Clarisse cursed as she stabbed forward with her spear. Anaklusmos parried it away and forced her to use the butt of her spear to block Percy's next attack. "So you went to England to help Harry out?"

"Yeah," Percy said with a grunt as he dodged her attack. "I went to his magic school. They announced this huge tournament with other schools. There was supposed to be one champion per school. Someone entered him in illegally in hopes that he would die during the tournament."

Clarisse threw a punch at Percy's face which just barely missed as he danced back. "I'm assuming you took his place? That sounds like you."

"I did," Percy laughed. "I competed as the fourth champion when there were only supposed to be three. I managed to punch a dragon and knocked it out."

"Liar," she said. "You knocked out a fucking dragon?"

"In all fairness," Percy said, "it was much weaker than a drakon."

She snorted. "Sounds like it. So what happened? Did you win the tournament?"

"I did," Percy said. "Except at the end, I was kidnapped and so was Harry. This evil wizard guy, Voldemort, used a ritual to bring himself back from the dead and tried to kill me and Harry. Harry is super powerful and managed to hold him off long enough for us to escape."

"There's an evil wizard named Voldemort?"

He nodded. "They have weird names. The school is called Hogwarts."

"And I thought Delphi Strawberry Service was a bad name."

"Something bad is going to happen, Clarisse," Percy said, stepping back. She frowned and rested her spear on the ground. "Hecate has Thanatos under her control. Voldemort is incredibly powerful. I need to help prepare Harry for his prophecy."

"We'll help you however we can."

Percy smiled. "I know. Thanks. For now, I think they just need to enjoy a good summer away from all the dangers."

"So you brought them to a demigod camp?" Clarisse said, raising an eyebrow. "A place where monsters are fighting to break in and eat everyone?"

"Safer than living in England right now," he said. "I want them all to be safe."

Clarisse looked at him. "You're happy with them aren't you?"

Percy nodded, looking away. "They've come to mean a lot to me. I want...I feel like maybe I belong there with them."

"I'm happy for you then," Clarisse smiled. She walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "After last summer, I know that this place is hard to come back. Trust me, I know. I'm glad you've found people to care for and to care for you. Just remember that you will always have a place here."

"Are you getting soft on me, La Rue?" Percy grinned. Clarisse rolled her eyes and punched his shoulder hard.

"Put on full armor and I'll show you how soft I've gotten."

Percy blushed. "I think you've spent too much time with the Apollo cabin."

Clarisse barked out a laugh as they returned to their sparring.

««‡»»

A gentle breeze blew through the trees as Percy leaned back to watch the sunset. It had been a long day. After training with Clarisse, he had shown his British friends around camp. They had fallen in love with the place. Hermione had stayed behind with the Athena campers. The other girls had gone back to the stables to help some of the Aphrodite campers take care of the pegasi. The Weasley twins had disappeared at some point with the Hermes campers. Ron and his parents had returned to the Big House with Chiron at the end of the tour.

"This place is amazing," Harry said. He sat a couple feet from Percy. "I've never felt so peaceful anywhere. I love Hogwarts. It's home. But each year, something bad has happened to me. Just watching the sunset right now though...I feel calm."

Percy smiled. "You should see what this place is like when the monsters are trying to attack."

"Like that drakon thing?"

"Sometimes," Percy said. "Sometimes there are many more."

They sat quietly for a while when they heard footsteps approaching.

"Mind if we join you?" Tracey asked brightly. Harry nodded with a smile and patted the ground in front of him. Tracey sat down and he pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist. Daphne, though, did not wait for Percy to invite her. She walked over to him and dropped into his lap. Percy grinned as she laid her head on his shoulder.

"Enjoy your time with the Aphrodite campers?" he asked her. Daphne hummed.

"I've always wanted to see a pegasus. It was amazing."

"I'll take you for a ride tomorrow then," he said. Her eyes widened.

"Seriously?"

Percy kissed her cheek. "Seriously."

Daphne smiled brightly and adjusted herself so she was like Tracey, leaning back against Percy. Percy sighed in content as he hugged her to him. The sun set lower, casting them in reds and yellows. It was a perfectly beautiful evening.

"I could live like this," Harry said softly. They all looked at him and smiled. "I want to live on the beach and watch the sunset each evening."

"All alone?" Tracey asked teasingly. Harry tickled her sides.

"No," he said. "I want to enjoy the sunset with you."

Percy and Daphne rolled at his sapiness, but smiled at each other. When Tracey pulled Harry in for a kiss, Percy and Daphne stood up to give the other couple some privacy. Percy took Daphne's hand in his as they walked back to the cabins.

"What about you?" Daphne asked. "What do you want in your future?"

"Honestly? I never thought about it. I didn't exactly expect to live past my sixteenth birthday. I don't really know what my future looks like now." Daphne stopped walking and he turned to her. He frowned and cupped her cheek. "What's wrong, Daph?"

"Thinking about you not living past sixteen just..." she trailed off, looking down at the ground. "If you hadn't made it, I would never have met you."

Percy lifted her face up so he could look into her eyes. "Daph, I'm here now. When I first got to Hogwarts, I only had one thing on my mind. I was going to help Harry with his task and that was it. I didn't want to make friends. You changed that. You made me see that maybe I can actually be happy."

"I am so happy you came to Hogwarts," Daphne whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Even if you were tricked, it brought you to me."

"'To you'?" Percy asked with a grin. Daphne grinned back and nodded.

"Mmhmm," she said. "You're mine now, Percy, and I can be quite selfish."

Percy leaned forward so his lips grazed hers lightly. "I think I can live with that."

He pressed his lips to her, and she pulled them even tighter together. Daphne moaned softly as she ran her fingers through his hair. His heart pounded powerfully at the sound, and he nudged her lips with his tongue. She met him eagerly, pushing against him as though fighting for control. Percy hugged her waist tightly with one arm as though afraid that the gentle breeze would somehow pull her away from him. His other hand ran along the hem of her shirt before daring to slip beneath and run along the smooth skin of her side. Daphne gasped into his lips and kissed him harder and, if possible, with more passion. When they finally needed to breath, Percy rested his forehead against hers, giving her a small, intimate peck on the lips.

"We should slow down," Daphne whispered. "We haven't been together very long, and I don't want us to rush further than we are ready for."

"I know," Percy nodded. It had only been about a month since their first kiss. Since then, Percy could count the number of times they had kissed on a hand and a half. She had been beyond busy with school, and he had had a tournament to focus on. "We have all summer to enjoy each other."

Daphne smiled as she pulled back slightly. "All summer. I like the sound of that."

"We should make sure that Tracey and Harry don't lose track of time," Percy said with a chuckle as he let go of Daphne. She nodded and smirked.

"A splash of cold water should help."

Percy grinned. "That's cruel."

"They don't call me the Ice Queen for nothing," Daphne teased, she ran a finger down Percy's jaw sending shivers down his spine. She laughed and walked back towards where they had left the other two. She swayed her hips enticingly, and Percy fell for her trap, his eyes never leaving her. Daphne turned and smirked at him. "Come on, pervert."

Percy sputtered. "Am not!"

They laughed and Percy took her hand as they went back to Tracey and Harry. The other two were caught in a tender embrace, and Daphne put a hand on Percy's chest to stop him from approaching. She leaned into his ear. "They can find their way back. There's still time before curfew. Let's head back ourselves."

Percy nodded, smiling at the sight of his two friends. He had never seen Harry so peaceful. Tracey was the best thing that had ever happened to his scrawny, wizard buddy. He turned and followed Daphne back up the path again towards the cabins.

"Thank you again, Percy," Daphne said quietly.

"For what?"

"For bringing us here," she said, looking at him as they walked. "With You-Know-Who back, Britain just isn't safe. Thank you for giving us a place to just relax and enjoy our summer like we're just normal teenagers."

"I'm not sure normal teenagers go rock climbing on a wall with lava, but I get your point," Percy said with a smile. Daphne punched his shoulder softly. "You have all come to mean a lot to me. I wasn't going to just leave you behind. I wish your parents could have come though."

Daphne nodded. "It would be really nice to know they were here and they were safe, but I am okay being here without them."

"Why's that?" he asked, cocking his head.

"Because now I can snog my boyfriend whenever and wherever I like," she said, her tone sultry and filled with promise. Percy blushed.

"I...er...yeah there's that."

Daphne grinned and grabbed his arm so that it was around her shoulder as they walked. The sun had finally set, Artemis already taking her place in the sky. The stars twinkled brilliantly, their light cascading down upon them. Percy hugged Daphne closer to him. Hermione had been right. He would do anything to keep Daphne. He desperately wanted to find love, and maybe-just maybe-he would find it with her. Daphne, too, was thinking the same thing. All her life she had been raised as an heiress. There were responsibilities required of her, and though her parents swore to let her find her own way in the world, the possibility of being handed off to a suitor in exchange of a bridal price was all too real. When the Malfoys had come close to forcing her parents into giving her to Daphne, she had felt her entire future crumbling to pieces. But Percy had saved her. He had saved her from a future of hopelessness and pain. As they walked, she looked up at the boy who had melted the Ice Queen's heart. She was falling for him. Hard. What scared her the most was that she didn't care. She wanted Percy, and Hecate and the Dark Lord be damned. She was going to fight till her last breath to remain by Percy's side.

"What are you thinking?" Percy asked, looking down at her. The moonlight danced in her blue eyes.

"Just...really happy right now," she said softly. Percy kissed her head.

"I am too, Daph."

Daphne grinned up at him. She hugged him tightly as they approached the Big House. She didn't want to let go.

"Get some rest tonight, Daph," Percy said. "We've got a long day tomorrow. Pegasus flying, possibly some rock climbing. I might even take you to the arena and train you to fight."

"You really want to train me?" she asked. She had figured Percy wouldn't want her anywhere near a sword.

"I want you to be the strongest, most prepared woman you can possibly be," he said. "I want you to be able to fight better than anyone else."

Daphne poked his side. "Just don't go easy on me. I can take a good fight."

"I'm sure you can," he smiled. "But get some rest."

Daphne bit her lip, thinking. Percy frowned and cupped her cheek.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

Daphne looked up at him. "Hermione and Ginny are sharing a room, the twins have their own room, Ron has his own room, and so does Astoria. I know Tracey was going to ask Harry if they could share a room. She doesn't like talking about it, but she's really scared. Harry being abducted from right beside her at the third task and nearly being killed terrified her. I think that's why they were being so close when we went back for them."

"So you'll have a room to yourself," Percy said. "That'll be nice."

"I don't want to be alone," Daphne said, her eyes growing hard. "Percy, I watched as you were taken from the maze. It hurt me bad to see the boy I care so much about almost die and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I'm just as scared as Tracey is, Perce."

Percy looked down at his feet. He hadn't thought about how his abduction had made them feel. How it had made her feel.

"I want to stay with you tonight, Percy," Daphne said softly. "I just want to be close to you."

"Are you sure?" he asked. Daphne narrowed her eyes at him, and he could only smile. "I know that look. The I've-made-up-my-mind-and-you-can't-stop-me look."

Daphne raised an eyebrow and smirked. Percy kissed her softly before taking her hand and leading her away from the Big House and to his cabin. There were still campers rushing around, trying to enjoy as much of the evening as they could before curfew. Percy turned around and spotted Tracey and Harry walking into the Big House. He smiled before looking at Daphne and pointing at cabin number three.

"Seashells and coral in the walls?" Daphne asked, amused. "You really went all out with the ocean decor."

"I didn't build it," Percy laughed. "But it's fitting. All the windows face the ocean over there."

Daphne looked over at the sea and smiled. "I agree with Harry. I would love to live on the beach some day."

"Maybe you will." Percy opened the door for her, and when they stepped inside, Daphne gasped. The walls had a gentle, pearlescent glow which seemed to illuminate the seawater fountain in the middle. Along the window sills were several different underwater plants of various colors. Percy closed the door and hugged Daphne from behind. She leaned her head back against his shoulder.

"This is so beautiful, Percy," Daphne said. "I can't believe this is what you see everyday."

"It's beautiful," he nodded. "But it's also lonely. When I first came to camp, I was put in the Hermes cabin until my father claimed me. I kind of miss having people to share a cabin with. I loved the dorms at Hogwarts cause it was just a group of guys in a room."

"Well," Daphne said, turning around in his arms. "You're not alone now."

"No," he agreed. "And I can't think of anyone I would rather share it with."

Daphne stood up on her toes and kissed him softly before turning back and walking around the cabin. She lingered by the plants in the windows, remembering the time Percy had taken her to the bottom of the lake. Looking up, she saw several bronze animals hanging from the ceiling.

"Hippocampi," Percy said. "My brother Tyson made those for me."

"They're beautiful," she said. She looked at the door to the side. "Is that your room?"

Percy nodded and walked over to open the door. His room was not as decorated as the main living space. His bed was in the corner beneath a large window looking out over the Atlantic. Since he was the only person that used the cabin, Poseidon had managed to get him a queen sized bed rather than one of the bunks. Beside the bed, a single lamp sat on his nightstand along with his minotaur horn, and a chest of drawers rested against the wall. The other side of the room was empty except for a hammock. Percy followed Daphne inside his room before frowning as he noticed a strange trunk by his bed.

"Is that yours?" he asked. Daphne grinned at him. "When did you bring this here?"

"I asked the harpies to bring it to your room before Tracey and I found you at the beach."

Percy shook his head. "Minx."

"Don't complain," she laughed. "Are you really that upset having a beautiful girl in your bedroom."

"No," Percy admitted with a blush. Daphne grinned.

"Good answer." She looked around the room. "There isn't a bathroom in here is there?"

"If you need to just freshen up before bed there's a small room on the other side of the cabin," Percy said. "Perks of being the Poseidon cabin. The showers though are outside and all the cabins share them."

"A bunch of hormonal teenagers showering together? That sounds like a recipe for disaster," Daphne laughed.

"Cabins usually shower together, and since your cabin mates are your siblings, nothing happens."

"And what about me?" Daphne asked, walking towards him slowly, her hips swaying. "I'm in your cabin."

Percy blushed. "Oh, go brush your teeth, you seductive minx."

Daphne cackled before leaving his room, her toiletries in hand. Percy fought to control his hormones which were coursing through his veins with an intensity he'd never felt before. Daphne was trouble, but Percy could only grin. Daphne returned a moment later, her hair no longer tied back, but lose around her shoulders. She no longer wore her eyeliner or mascara, but Percy could only hold his breath as he looked at her. She was perfect and beautiful.

"Go brush your teeth," Daphne ordered. Percy got off his bed, gave her a salute, and left to brush his teeth. When he walked back into his room, Daphne had her back to him. She was completely topless, wearing only a pair of very short shorts. Percy sucked in a breath. She pulled out one of his shirts from his drawers and slipped into it before turning around to look at him. His shirt was very big on her, reaching her mid thigh. "See something you like?"

"Not nearly enough," Percy teased back. Daphne blushed slightly before smiling.

"I hope it's okay I took one of your shirts."

"Absolutely." His eyes lingered on her curves before he looked back up at her eyes which were sparkling madly with amusement and not a little bit of lust. "Looks better on you."

Daphne laughed and went over to the bed, crawling beneath the sheets and laying beside the wall, just beneath the window. She looked at him and grinned. "Are you going to sleep in jeans?"

"No," he stuck his tongue out at her. He blushed slightly. "I normally just sleep in boxers."

"That's fine by me," Daphne purred. Percy's blushed deepened, but he pulled his shirt off and stepped out of his jeans. He sucked in a breath before he slipped beneath the covers beside her. Daphne adjusted herself so that she could rest her head on his shoulder, her hand roaming before resting on his chest. Percy could feel himself becoming aroused, but forced himself to ignore it. He reached over and turned off the lamp. The room fell dark except for the moonlight coming in from the window above them. Daphne's teasing grin fell to a small smile.

"Thanks for letting me stay here," she whispered. Percy looked into her eyes and he realized why she needed to be with him. She had nightmares. She probably saw him being abducted each night, and her imagination only filled in the story of what happened in the graveyard. He kissed her softly, hugging her to him.

"I'm not letting you go," he whispered back. She snuggled into his embrace and they fell asleep. For the first time since the third task, Daphne's night was not plagued with nightmares, and for the first time in over a year, Percy finally relaxed. The moonlight highlighted the teenagers as they held each other close through the night.

Miles away, as Percy and Daphne and even Harry and Tracey rested in the embrace of the ones they loved, the Dark Lord strode the halls of Malfoy Manor. His black cloak snapped sharply behind him as he threw open the doors to the dining hall. The room was filled with men and women in black robes, their silver masks on the table before them.

"I am disappointed," Voldemort said. "While you have been groveling at the feet of the ministry, begging for your miserable lives, my most loyal followers are rotting away within Azkaban prison. Where is your loyalty? You are cockroaches. Fleeing and hiding when 'light' appears."

"My lord," said one of men down the table. "We have been attempting to infiltrate the ministry. We cannot do so if we are in prison."

Voldemort stopped, and the room grew cold. The Dark Lord's red, beady eyes turned towards the man who suddenly became quite fascinated with the table before him. "Is that so? You have been...infiltrating the ministry? Answer me!"

"Ye-yes, my lord," the man said. Voldemort sneered.

"And how have you managed to do such a thing?" Voldemort asked, walking down the length of the table towards him. "You are worthless, Nott. A whimpering fool."

"It was Malfoy's decision," Nott said, his eyes darting down towards the head of the table where Lucius Malfoy sat unfazed.

"Is this true, Lucius?" Voldemort asked, moving to stand behind Nott. Sweat formed on Nott's forehead and trickled down his face, burning his eyes. "Did you tell Nott to deny his allegiance to me to get into the ministry?"

"I told him no such thing," Malfoy said. Nott glared at the blonde haired man.

"He lies," Nott spat. "It was his decision. When the ministry came, we told them we had been put under the Imperious curse. They gave us positions in the ministry and over time we would be able to take complete control from the inside out for when you returned."

Voldemort bent, putting his face beside Nott's. "For when I returned? So you believed I was still out there?"

Nott gulped. "Ye-yes, my lord. We never lost faith."

" _Crucio_!" Voldemort roared. A scream ripped through Nott's lungs as he collapsed beneath the table, writhing in pain as the Dark Lord snarled. The rest of the Death Eaters closed their eyes, knowing quite well that it could have been any one of them facing the Dark Lord's wrath. Voldemort snapped his wand, ending the spell and strode back to the head of the table. "Someone clean up the mess."

Two house elves popped into the room, grabbed Nott's body, and vanished. Voldemort approached his seat and sat down. Nagini, the large python, appeared upon his lap. Stroking her head absentmindedly, Voldemort glared at the men and women before him.

"How close are you to taking control of the ministry?" he asked.

Malfoy coughed. "My lord, the minister is under our control. He says what I want him to say and votes how I want him to vote. The Wizengamot is still split. There are still many loyal to Dumbledore."

Voldemort hummed. "And what has our dear minister said about what transpired at the end of the tournament?"

"Nothing, my lord," said Dolohov from across Malfoy. "The minister continues to press that Dumbledore and Potter are merely seeking attention. Any attempt of spreading the idea that you have returned is quickly suppressed."

"Good," Voldemort said. "Perhaps your...plan is not entirely flawed, Lucius. We will remain quiet this summer. A few raids to cause panic, but we will play off the ministry's anti-Dumbledore agenda." The Dark Lord looked at Malfoy. "And what of Potter?"

"As far as we have been able to tell, he's back with his relatives in London," Malfoy said. "I have already spoken to one of our...associates in the ministry. She has agreed to send some visitors Potter's way. If he is not killed by the dementors, he will be forced to use magic in a public place. Certainly he will be expelled."

"Good, good," Voldemort hummed. "He is well aquainted with the Weasley family is he not?"

"He is," Malfoy nodded. "But he has also grown quite close to the Davis and Greengrass families."

Voldemort snarled. Greengrass. The idiot man had chosen to remain neutral during the war. When Guinevere had confronted him to use the family business to support Voldemort and his cause Lord Greengrass had refused. "Guinevere."

Guinevere Greengrass turned to him from further down the table. It had been Guinevere and Crouch together that had found him hiding away in Romania. She was loyal to him. Good, the Dark Lord thought. He needed her loyalty.

"My lord?" she asked, her voice sultry. She and Bellatrix had been the most formidable pair. Their lust and passion for him far exceeding any of the other Death Eaters.

"I need you to convince your brother that his business belongs to us," Voldemort said. "We need his money. Make it happen."

"And if he refuses?" Guinevere asked.

Voldemort looked at her. "Refusal is unacceptable."

"Understood," she grinned, standing up. "I will make preparations immediately."

Voldemort nodded and waved her off. When she left the room, he turned to Malfoy and Dolohov. "I have a task for the rest of you. The rest of our family, the ones that did not cower beneath the ministry, have been locked up for far too long. We must take Azkaban prison. Prepare an assault. I will personally lead the attack."

Voldemort stood up as did the Death Eaters. "Go!"

Dispersing like ants, the Death Eaters left the room to prepare. Voldemort grinned to himself as Nagini slithered up his leg and upon the table. "Soon, my sweet, we will have the world on its knees."

Nagini slithered up his arm and draped around his neck. "Soon."

Percy opened his eyes as the first ray of sunlight poured in through the window above his head. He took a breath. Lilac and gooseberries. He smiled and turned to his side where Daphne had curled up beside him, her back to him. Percy reached over and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her gently to him so that he could hold her for a few more moments before getting up. Daphne hummed and her eyes fluttered open.

"Hi," she whispered, smiling at him. Percy smiled back and gave her a kiss on her forehead.

"Morning, Daph."

"Hmm, what time is it?"

Percy glanced at the clock on his nightstand. "It's five thirty."

Daphne groaned and pulled her pillow over her face. "It's too early."

"You chose to stay the night," Percy laughed, moving the pillow. Daphne growled at him and turned so her face was buried into the mattress.

"Still too early," she mumbled. Percy just chuckled and swung his legs off the bed. He walked over to his drawers and pulled out a clean camp shirt. It was odd seeing the familiar orange without the sense of guilt and pain he had come to associate with the color. He shrugged and slung the shirt over his shoulder before grabbing more clean clothes. He walked out of his room, looking over his shoulder at her. "I'm going to hit the showers. I'll be right back."

Daphne watched him leave and rolled back over on her back, looking up at the ceiling. If at the beginning of fourth year someone had told her that she would spend her summer sleeping in the same bed as a boy, she would have shown them the wrath and fury of the Ice Queen. But she had done just that, spending the entire night with the boy who had come from across the world and showed her that maybe there was hope for a happy ending. Spending the night with him hadn't been her idea.

Tracey had been struggling with night terrors since the night of the final task. She and Harry were very close, and nearly losing him had torn her heart to shreds. Tracey had told Daphne she needed to be with Harry. It was the only way to keep her nightmares at bay, and Tracey told Daphne that perhaps spending the night with Percy would help her with hers. Daphne had been beyond nervous when she had asked Percy, but he had proven himself to be the perfect boyfriend. He didn't push her too far, he didn't assume anything with her being in his bed. He held her until she could fall asleep, and if she was being honest with herself, she had never slept so well. She and Percy had only officially started dating the night of their first kiss. It really hadn't been that long ago, but with all that had happened since then, Daphne felt like they had been together for years. She never flirted. She never teased. But Percy brought out an entirely new side of her, and the way he responded...it made her feel wanted, loved...sexy.

Daphne pulled herself out of the bed and walked over to her trunk. She opened it and reached inside to pull out clean clothes and a towel. Percy hadn't taken a towel with him had he? Daphne rolled her eyes at herself. Of course he didn't. Percy didn't need a towel when he didn't even get wet. She remembered when he had taken her beneath the lake. That was when she had realized she had made the right choice in pursuing him. The strength Percy had-not to mention his demigod powers-was far beyond hers. Had he wanted to abuse her, he had every opportunity to do so then. But he hadn't. He showed her a world she had never known before. His world.

"Hey," Percy said fondly, stepping back into the room. He was wearing an orange shirt with the words 'Camp Half-Blood' on the chest and a pair of jeans. Daphne smiled at him, slipped her wand into the hem of her shorts and pulled him into a hug.

"I had a great night, Percy," she murmured into his chest.

"Nightmares?"

"None," Daphne smiled. Percy leaned down and kissed her.

"Good." Percy nudged her towards his door. "Now go hit the showers. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Daphne nodded and walked out of the room. She felt his gaze on her backside and grinned to herself as she left for the showers. She had an effect on him, and it made her quite happy. She quickly showered and used a quick spell to shave her legs. Daphne hoped that she could spend the rest of the summer sharing a cabin with Percy, and if she did, she doubted he would want to brush up against her spikey, unshaven legs. When she rubbed a hand down her calf and it felt smooth, she hurried up and finished her shower before turning the water out and stepping into the small little room where she had left her clothes. The girls' side of the showers reminded her of the dorms at Hogwarts. Except these showers weren't cold and made of stone.

"Oh," said a girl stepping into the showers. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be in here. Usually I'm the first one up."

"I just finished actually," Daphne smiled. It was the girl that had come to their rescue outside of the camp when the drakon had attacked. "You're Clarisse right?"

"Yup!" Clarisse said. "You're Daphne."

"Daphne Greengrass," she said, holding her hand out. "I don't think I ever got a chance to thank you for saving our lives when we got here the other day."

Clarisse waved her hand as though it weren't a big deal, before shaking Daphne's hand. Daphne put on her bra and adjusted the strap.

"That's kind of what we do around her," Clarisse said. "But you're welcome. I'm just glad Percy is back."

"He really means a lot to you all."

Clarisse nodded. "Percy is our leader. Maybe not officially, but he led us into battle last summer. If it weren't for him, Olympus would have fallen and the world would be completely different. Plus, he's my friend. I've missed him." Clarisse looked at Daphne. "How was he this past year?"

"I only really got to know him before Christmas," Daphne said softly. "And over break his mum was killed."

"Sally," Clarisse said sadly. "She was like a mom to all of us. She used to come during the school year and fix breakfast for the few of us that were stuck here. She made the best blue pancakes."

"I wish I had gotten a chance to meet her."

Clarisse nodded but said nothing as she undressed and got in the shower. Daphne buttoned her jeans and started walking out when Clarisse called out from the stall. "I haven't seen Prissy as happy as he is around you in a very long time. Sally would have loved you."

Daphne smiled fondly and left the showers. Percy sat on the steps leading up to his cabin and stood up when he saw her. He walked over and gave her a small kiss on the forehead.

"What's that smile for?" he asked. Daphne looked up and shrugged.

"It's a beautiful day."

 **A/N: I am sorry this chapter took way way way too long to write. I've never really written this much fluff, and nothing terribly exciting happened this chapter so it took longer than I had hoped. I am very sorry, but please let me know what you guys think of the chapter.**

 **Anyways, thanks to everyone that has favorited, followed, and reviewed. I love you all :3. Till next time!**


	25. Chapter 25

Harry hit the ground hard. He felt the metallic taste of blood on his lip and groaned loudly. He tried to stand back up, but felt a sharp point prick him in the chest. He looked up and squinted against the summer sun. A silhouette of a man stood before him.

"And you're dead," Percy said, stepping away and capping Anaklusmos. Harry spat on the ground, grimacing when he saw a few specks of blood on the sand of the arena. "But at least you managed to stand longer this time."

Harry took Percy's outreached hand and stood up. He rubbed his chest where a bruise was no doubt forming. "I was barely standing for three seconds."

"At least that's two seconds longer than last time," Ginny offered with a grin. Harry flipped her the bird and everyone laughed.

"Alright, let's give Harry a break," Percy said with a laugh. "Who's next?"

"I think Ginny should go next," Harry said, smirking at the redheaded girl. Ginny folded her arms stubbornly.

"Two sickles that I last longer than three seconds."

Harry nodded. "Deal."

Tracey slapped her forehead and groaned while the twins cheered and then made their own bet amongst themselves. Ginny patted Harry's shoulder as she walked past him and stood in the middle of the arena in front of Percy. Percy pointed at the sword that Harry had dropped a few moments ago. Ginny picked it up and swung it hesitantly. She had never held a sword before much less used one to fight.

"Remember the stance we went over this morning," Percy said. Ginny took a breath and adjusted her stance so that she held the sword in a two handed grip. She put on her bravest face, but holding the sword in her hands, she realized just how uncomfortable Harry must have been. A wand had tremendous destructive capabilities. It could drain an opponent's blood, curse their bones, or kill someone outright. But the wand itself was not dangerous. A sword on the other hand...Ginny realized that any wrong move on her part could easily result in accidentally hurting herself. It was a weapon pure and simple.

"Stop," Percy said, breaking her out of her trance. Ginny cocked her head at him. "I know what you're thinking. I see your anxiety. Trust me, I know how you feel. The first time I held a sword I was extremely paranoid about hurting myself. You need to move past that and stop thinking about the sword as a weapon. It's a tool. You need to be cautious, yes, but if you do exactly as I say, you won't hurt yourself." Percy grinned. "At least not too badly."

Ginny took a breath and nodded. "Alright. I think I'm ready."

If she had been expecting Percy to take a moment to really make sure she was ready, she would have been dead wrong. The demigod lunged forward with impossible speed, and before she could react, Ginny found her legs swept out from under her, and she hit the ground with a loud thud. Her sword rolled away from her hand, and she groaned as she saw the tip of Percy's sword in front of her face. She had never even seen him take out his blade.

"Not as easy as it looks is it?" asked Harry with a smirk. Ginny smirked back as Percy helped her back to her feet.

"No, it's not," she admitted.

Percy capped Anaklusmos and put the pen in his pocket. "The first step to learning how to fight is getting over all of your fears of using the blade. To get over your fear, we will have to find the right blade for you."

"Why do we even need a blade in the first place?" asked Tracey. "Shouldn't we be spending time working on our spell casting?"

"You should work on spell casting," Percy nodded. "And you'll spend the majority of the summer working on it. Chiron says that a daughter of Hecate has recently come to camp from some magical school here in the States."

"Ilvermorny?" Hermione asked.

Percy shrugged. "I don't know, I guess? She'll be training you all in magic, but this isn't just about fighting Voldemort. Hecate is the one behind all of this. Hecate cannot be fought with magic as it is her domain. You will need to learn to fight the demigod way."

"With swords and spears and such," Daphne said. Percy nodded, and she merely shrugged. "I'm okay with this. I want to go next."

Percy gave her a small smile though he was a bit surprised at her eagerness. He followed her back out to the middle of the arena and waited for her to pick up Ginny's discarded sword. Daphne picked up the sword and swung it a few times. Unlike the others, Daphne seemed far more comfortable with the blade in her hand.

"My father put me in fencing classes when I was young," Daphne smirked at Percy. "It wasn't exactly couth for a young woman to do so though, so he took me to muggle London to take classes."

"I'm impressed," Percy grinned. He nodded at her to get into her stance. Daphne dropped into the stance that Percy had taught them all that morning, but it did not feel comfortable. She adjusted her footing, moving her left leg a bit further from her body and holding the blade out further. Percy waited till she was ready before leaping towards her.

Anaklusmos and Daphne's sword clang together as she managed to deflect his first attack. However, fencing had not taught Daphne the aggressive and brutal combat of the Greeks, and when Percy swung the next time, slashing at her feet, Daphne had no choice but to leap out of the way and lose her balance. Percy kicked out and sent her into the sand. Daphne coughed in surprise and stared up at the sky.

"Bloody hell," she rasped out. Percy grinned and held out a hand. She let him pull her up before she punched him in the shoulder. "That hurt."

"Congrats, Daph," Percy laughed, rubbing his shoulder. "You lasted longer than everyone else."

Tracey rolled her eyes. "It's no fair. She's had practice before."

"Exactly," Percy said. "She lasted longer because she's had practice. Which is exactly what you will all be doing. Who's ready for the lava wall?"

Their eyes widened. Harry glanced at Tracey and then back at Percy. "You're serious? You want us to climb the lava wall?"

"We're not demigods," Hermione said fearfully.

"Demigods are still mortal," Percy grinned. "We get burned just like you...well, I don't. Because I'm the son of Poseidon. But the rest of us do. If you guys weren't witches and wizards, I wouldn't allow you guys to do the wall. But since you are, we can have potions and the like prepared in case you get hurt. Now quit complaining and hurry to the lava wall. Chiron should be there now to teach you how to do it."

"You're a prat," Harry grumbled as they all turned to leave the arena. Percy grinned and looked at Daphne.

"Help me put away the swords?"

Daphne smiled and nodded, inwardly pleased she didn't have to go to the lava wall just yet. She walked over to the spot where the others had been standing and picked up the wooden swords they had used earlier to practice their stance. She followed Percy over to the far end of the arena to a pair of large, bronze doors. He pulled one open and led her inside. The room was much larger than she had expected and filled with more weapons than she had ever imagined. There was enough to arm a small army with some excess. There were also piles of armor on shelves around the walls. Percy walked over to a bin and dropped the wooden swords into it, and Daphne did the same. She looked around at the room.

"This is..."

"Intimidating?" Percy finished.

Daphne nodded. "My father is an art collector, but he also deals with antique weapons. These all look like they were made in ancient Greece, yet none of them look as old as the ones he's bought."

"These swords are all celestial bronze," Percy explained. "It's a...magical metal. It's the only thing that can kill monsters or hurt anything from the Greek world. Well, that and stygian iron, but that is pretty much only used by children of Hades."

"So all of these weapons really are from ancient Greece?"

Percy shrugged. "Some, I'm sure. A lot of these are also made by the Hephaestus cabin. But since we are all Greek, the style and craft is the same as it was back then."

"This is incredible," she said, walking over to a short sword that hung on the wall. "Is your sword from ancient Greece or was it made by the Hephaestus cabin?"

Percy pulled out his pen and uncapped it, letting Anaklusmos spring out from its sheath. He flipped the blade around so the hilt was towards her and held it out. Daphne's eyes widened a fraction but she took the sword and held it gingerly in her hands. "It's beautiful."

"It was made by a very good friend of mine," Percy said softly. "Chiron gave it to me five years ago when we were on a field trip. My math teacher had pulled me aside and started accusing me of stealing something. I had no idea what she was talking about and then she turned into this hideous looking bat creature. Chiron appeared out of nowhere and threw a pen at me. It turned into Anaklusmos when I uncapped it, and I just managed to stab the bat creature before she killed me."

"You killed your math teacher?" Daphne asked with a gasp, though her eyes were twinkling in amusement.

Percy scratched the back of his head. "I did, yeah. Don't tell Hermione okay?"

"Okay," Daphne laughed. She looked at the blade. "So did Chiron make this?"

"No," Percy shook his head. "A few years later, I met the hunters of Artemis for the first time. Back then, Thalia wasn't the lieutenant yet. She was just a regular old demigod like me. The leader was a girl named Zoe. Zoe got a quest to rescue Artemis who had been captured by the Titans." Percy blushed. "I wasn't picked for the quest, but I followed them anyways. They got to D.C. and were at the museums when they were attacked by a titan called the General and a demigod named Luke Castellan."

"A demigod?" Daphne asked, eyes wide. Percy nodded.

"Luke is-was-a son of Hermes. He hated how the gods treated their kids and listened to Kronos when he offered him a place in his army." Percy sighed and moved to sit down on one of the wooden benches in the room. Daphne sat down beside him, resting Anaklusmos across her knees. "Luke and the General sent the Nemean Lion after us. I had the idea to shoot arrows into its mouth since it's skin was impenetrable. Zoe and another hunter, Bianca, killed it with arrows. The lion dropped its skin which turned into a jacket. Zoe gave it to me, and I joined the quest after that. We had to keep going, so we travelled west on a train. I had a dream while we were on the train that I was walking up a mountain towards a beautiful garden. This girl appeared to me and offered to help me with my task. She gave me a hairpin which turned into a sword, and then I went and completed my task. The girl tried to come with me because her sisters would kill her for betraying them, but I told her I didn't need her and left her there." Percy shook his head. "When I woke up, I realized that the dream was actually a memory. I was looking through the eyes of Heracles during one of his twelve tasks. The girl was Zoe and the hairpin sword was actually Anaklusmos."

Daphne's eyes widened. "Anaklusmos? So Zoe made the sword?"

"She did," Percy nodded. "And she gave it to Heracles. I'm not exactly sure how it ended up with Chiron. Zoe had been so angry with me the first time she saw me holding Anaklusmos, and I didn't know why until my dream. I confronted her about it and tried to give the sword back but she refused to take it. Heracles was an absolute douche."

"I can't believe we all think of him as some great and noble warrior," Daphne shook her head in disgust. "He's no better than Malfoy."

Percy grinned at that before he frowned and looked at his feet. "Bianca was killed a day or so later in the junkyard of the gods by a large metal robot." Daphne gasped and put a hand on his shoulder. Percy gave a weak smile. "She was Nico's sister. He was absolutely furious with me when we got back, but that's another long story. After that, we went further west, flew on some metal angels off of Hoover's Dam, and I wrestled this old, minor sea god that could shape shift."

"Nereus," Daphne said. Percy's eyes widened and he nodded. Daphne grinned. "Father loved Nereus. He always wondered what question he would ask if he ever caught him."

"Well, we asked what creature Artemis had been hunting before she was captured. It was actually this cute little sea creature that had been following us around. It was a creature that if you killed and sacrificed its entrails, you would have the power to destroy Olympus."

"Kill a cute little sea creature?" Daphne asked, flabbergasted by the idea.

"I think I said the same thing when we heard that," Percy said. "There's power that comes from destroying innocence. I imagine that it is partly why Voldemort grew so powerful. He preyed on the weak and innocent and it gave him strength. Maybe not physical strength, but it certainly made people much more afraid of him."

"Father said that if Dumbledore had actually confronted Voldemort instead of playing a waiting game, the war would have ended much quicker with fewer casualties."

Percy nodded. He hadn't told her or the others about Dumbledore's true identity and the real reason why he had never made a move against Voldemort. "Anyways, we then had Grover go back to camp with the creature so that no one would kill it, and we travelled up a mountain in California. The garden from my dream-the one about Zoe and Heracles-was on that mountain."

"How is that possible?" Daphne asked. "Wouldn't it be back in Greece?"

"The Greek world moves," Percy said. "Just like Olympus, the mythical Greek world has always travelled in the direction of western civilization. So, the Garden of the Hesperides is actually in San Francisco. We passed the garden and then went up to the castle of the Titans where we found Artemis chained up and holding up the sky."

"I thought Atlas held the sky."

"Atlas turned out to be the General we had faced earlier," Percy said. "Artemis had taken her place. We started fighting Atlas, but he was so much faster and stronger. I took Artemis' place under the sky."

Daphne had heard about Percy holding the sky of course. He had mentioned it to her before, but never the full story of how or why. She reached up and traced her finger along the single lock of silver hair on his head. Percy leaned into her touch. "It was the worst pain I have ever felt. Artemis started fighting the General, and at one point, he almost killed her."

Daphne gasped. "What happened?"

"Zoe flung herself in front of Artemis and got impaled in the stomach," Percy said sadly. "Artemis was furious and fought Atlas even harder. She told me in my mind to be ready, and a moment later, she had kicked Atlas into me so that he took the sky again."

"And Zoe?"

"She was still breathing," Percy said softly. "I tried to save her, but the quest we were on...the last line of the prophecy was that one of us would die by a parent's hand. Zoe was a daughter of Atlas."

"She died?" Daphne asked.

Percy nodded. "She told me that she was glad that she had finally found a male she could call a friend and glad that Anaklusmos had found someone 'worthy' to wield it." He looked at Daphne. "So that's what I do. That's why I fight. Zoe died saving us. She was probably the bravest person I have ever met. As long as I wield Anaklusmos, I will do my hardest to be as brave as she was."

Daphne thought she would be jealous, but when Percy turned to her and his sea green eyes bore into hers, all she could feel was her heart fluttering.

"Anaklusmos reminds me that even great people like Heracles can be ruined by their pride and their Malfoyness."

"Malfoyness?" Daphne chuckled. "I like that. And don't worry. I'll make sure to knock some sense into you if you ever start acting all Malfoyey."

Percy grinned and poked her side. "I almost wish you could have met Zoe. She would have really liked you."

"Almost?" Daphne asked. "Why almost?"

"Because she would have tried to convince you to join the hunters," he laughed as he stood up. "Come on. I've already spent too much time talking. It's time for you to do the lava wall."

Daphne stood up and capped Anaklusmos before approaching him and pulling him to her. She ran her left hand up his chest slowly as she placed the pen in his pocket with her right hand. Her hand traced his neck and she grinned when she felt goosebumps. "Do I really have to? We could just stay here."

"No!" Percy choked, pushing her away dramatically. "I will not be tempted!"

Daphne pouted but laughed. "Spoil sport. Come on. I want to see you do the lava wall first."

"Babe, I am the king of the lava wall. Watch and learn."

««‡»»

Sirius Black sat at the table sipping a cup of coffee as he read the morning's Daily Prophet. A few magical celebrities had been caught in an affair, a member of the Wizengamot was proposing new legislation, and some reporter claimed they had inside information on the lies being spread by Harry Potter and Percy Jackson. Sirius growled and ripped the opinionist column out of the paper and tossed it into the fire. He had been at the last task of the tournament a month ago. He had watched as Percy was ripped out of the maze by portkey and returned a while later with a battered and bruised Harry. Sirius had never felt so helpless in his life. Hearing his godson had been kidnapped by a Death Eater and been forced to fight Voldemort head on had nearly broken him in a way that Azkaban never could.

Sirius took a deep breath and put down the paper. He had enough stress and anxiety without reading gossip articles and political propaganda. Voldemort had returned. He knew it was true. How Harry had managed to hold his own against the most powerful Dark Lord, Sirius had no idea. He figured, though, that it had something to do with Harry's new, American friend. Percy Jackson. When Sirius had first met Percy in New York, he had been very confused. Never had he met a sixteen year old that was so confident and self-assured. If he had been using a glamour, Sirius could easily have believed Percy was a forty year old. Sirius had seen the Daily Prophet's headline the day after the first task. He had seen the photograph of Percy holding back the jaws of a dragon as though holding a dog's mouth open. Sirius had laughed and told Remus that the officials should make sure the contestants didn't use potions to give themselves an edge during the tasks. Remus had merely chuckled, finding it humorous that they never checked the contestants for performance enhancement potions.

Then the second task happened. It had come not long after Percy's family had been killed by rogue Death Eaters. That alone had rung the warning bells in Sirius' mind. Percy's family lived across the street from Harry. There was no way that the Death Eaters should have been able to make it past the blood wards around Privet Drive. Except, the Death Eaters had gone there for Percy. Not for Harry. The wards kept out anybody wishing to harm Harry. It didn't block people wishing to harm others in the neighborhood. Sirius had written Harry several times during that break and had floo called him twice. Harry had nearly lost his mind with worry, and from his letters, Sirius could only assume that their other friends were equally worried. Percy had become very close with them and his loss hurt them deeply. But, Percy had returned and not after bringing Sirius back to England.

Sirius had gone to look for Remus after arriving in Hogsmeade, and the two of them had attended the second task. Neither of them had expected to see what happened. Percy Jackson made his way through the lake as though he were just walking down the street. He had spoken to the merpeople and they bowed to him. They called him lord as though he ruled over them. When he had emerged from the water, saving some girl in a silver parka, he had claimed to be the son of Poseidon. Sirius knew about Greek mythology. Many of the names the Black family gave their children were based on constellations with Greek backgrounds such as Orion and Sirius had always been rather intrigued by stories of Greek heroes and monsters. He and Remus had wanted to laugh at Percy for his claim, but there was something about him that made them hesitate. Then, Harry had sent Sirius a letter explaining Percy in more depth. Dumbledore had brought Percy to Hogwarts specifically because Percy's claims of being a demigod were true. Remus, who had met Percy before Sirius, believed it immediately. Sirius was more hesitant. He trusted Dumbledore, but the man was getting old and some of his decisions were rather...poor in Sirius' opinion. Still, Sirius gave Percy the benefit of the doubt.

The third task had changed Sirius mind. He believed Percy was who he said he was. Everyone had heard the storm and seen the lightning in the distance. The night of the third task had been clear and quite lovely. The storm had come out of nowhere, and according to Harry, Percy had created the storm himself. Percy Jackson was a demigod, and Sirius wasn't sure whether to be relieved or worried that Harry was so close to him. The stories of demigods rarely had happy endings. For now, though, Harry and his friends were in America with Percy in a place that Dumbledore claimed was the absolute safest place for them to be. Sirius sure hoped the old man was right.

"Sirius!"

Sirius turned to the doorway where Remus was catching his breath.

"Moony? What's wrong? Did you run all the way here?"

Remus stepped into the room and took a deep breath. "There was another attack."

"Where?"

"Privet Drive."

Sirius' eyes widened. "Privet Drive? What happened?"

"Dementors," Remus said. "Two of them attacked the Dursley's home. Petunia's kid, Dudley, was kissed."

"Merlin," Sirius rasped out. "What if Harry had been there, Moony? Someone sent those dementors after him!"

"Then I guess it really was a good idea to have Harry go to America with Percy," Remus said. "The aurors are over at the Dursley's right now. Dumbledore has called an emergency meeting."

"When?"

"As soon as possib-"

Remus was cut off by the sound of the floo igniting. They turned just as a young woman with bright pink hair stumbled out of the fireplace. She tripped and fell forward, but Remus caught her just in time.

"Wotcher, Remus!" she said cheerfully, standing upright and blushing slightly. "I really hate the floo."

"How are you doing, Nymphadora?"

Sirius looked at the woman, waiting to see if she attacked him for using her full name.

"Exhausted," she laughed. "Being an auror is a lot more work than I expected it to be."

"You didn't really expect it to be easy did you?" Sirius asked. She turned and rolled her eyes.

"Of course I didn't. But that doesn't mean Kingsley needs to work me so hard."

Sirius laughed and gave her a hug. "It's good to see you, Nymphadora."

She elbowed him hard in the side. "It's Tonks to you."

"But Moony calls you that!" he whined, rubbing his ribs.

"And only he can," Tonks said with a cheeky grin at Remus who blushed slightly. Sirius rolled his eyes. Tonks, his cousin, was a huge flirt and he had long suspected she had a crush on Moony. There was a definite age gap, but when you are a wizard and live to be over a hundred, a meager 15 years doesn't really seem like much. Remus was stubborn, though. Sirius just hoped his friend would get his head out of his ass and ask the poor woman out.

"Go get some coffee," Sirius said, pointing at the kitchen. "Moony can show you where the mugs are."

Remus nodded. "Come on."

Tonks patted Sirius' shoulder and followed Remus into the kitchen just as the floo ignited again. Dumbledore, dressed in his typical robes, strode out with far more dignity and poise than Tonks had displayed.

"Ah, Sirius," Dumbledore said. "I apologize for calling a meeting on such short notice."

"It's alright," Sirius waved him off. "Remus told me about the Dementor attack. If you hadn't called a meeting, I'm sure I would have."

"Excellent. The others should be here soon. Will we meet in here?"

Sirius shrugged. "Here or in the kitchen. Doesn't really matter to me as long as we aren't super loud. Mother's portrait can be quite a bitch if you wake her."

"Ah," Dumbledore said, amused. "Do you happen to have any tea?"

"In the kitchen," Sirius nodded. Dumbledore thanked him and followed him into the kitchen where Tonks was telling Remus about her auror training. It wasn't much longer before the others arrived and the kitchen was filled with the smell of coffee, tea, and biscuits. Despite the dreadful news that brought them together, Sirius couldn't help but smile at the sight of so many people simply gathered together. Even if Snivellus himself was standing in the corner speaking with Mundungus Fletcher.

"Excellent," Dumbledore said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. By now, I'm sure you have all heard of this morning's attack. Kingsley, do you have more information about what happened?"

Kingsley Shacklebolt, an imposing man and a leader in the auror corps, nodded. "Two dementors were released from Azkaban early this morning by an unknown Ministry official. They arrived at Privet Drive and attacked the Dursley residence. Their son was kissed before one of the neighbors, a Miss Figg, contacted the aurors. We managed to capture the dementors and send them back to Azkaban before Mr. and Mrs. Dursley were kissed, but their son is now in the mental ward at St. Mungos."

Sirius closed his eyes. If Harry had been there...he shook his head. He didn't want to think about it.

"What do we know about who released the dementors?" asked Hestia Jones, a woman who had been part of the Order back when James and Lily were alive.

"Not much," Kingsley said morosely. "We know that they must have a rather high security clearance to be able to visit Azkaban, but as for who it was, we still do not know."

"Keep us informed on your investigation if you can," Dumbledore said. Kingsley nodded. "We are quite fortunate that young Mr. Potter was not with his relatives."

"Where is he?" asked a man in the back of the room. Sirius didn't recognize him.

"I'm afraid that that information is classified," Dumbledore said. "The fewer people that know of his whereabouts the better. Especially after this morning. However, we know that the attack was intended for him specifically. Severus, do you have any information on Voldemort?"

Everyone turned to the potions professor. Snape glared at them all before looking at Dumbledore. "The Dark Lord is planning a major attack. I believe that he is planning on breaking a group of Death Eaters out of Azkaban."

"Merlin," cursed several people. Dumbledore frowned.

"That is quite disheartening to hear. With Minister Fudge continuing to ignore my warnings, he will never put more guards in place to protect the prison."

"So what are we supposed to do? Lie around and wait for Voldemort to show up?" asked Alastor Moody. Everyone looked at the headmaster who ran a hand through his beard.

"For now, we have no choice but to lay low. Voldemort is keeping quiet, so we will as well."

"Bollocks!" shouted someone else in the room. "We should attack now before he gets even more Death Eaters!"

There were grumbles of agreement. Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort is extremely powerful. We need time to prepare and get ready for when he finally does reveal himself. We are not strong enough alone. We need the ministry's help."

"So this is just a waiting game then?" Sirius questioned. "Just waiting to see which family is killed first?"

Dumbledore gave him a look. "I do not like this any more than you do, Sirius. But right now this is the best course of action. We do not know where Voldemort is hiding as the wards around Malfoy Manor are second to none. We do not know how many he has under his control. We do not know what he has planned after the attack on Azkaban. There are too many unknowns. Until we start to have some answers, yes, Sirius, this is a waiting game."

The room fell silent. No one wanted to admit that the headmaster was right. They had no idea what was going to happen. Any attack now would be a random shot in the dark.

"Kingsley," Dumbledore said, breaking the silence. "You and Miss Tonks need to continue this investigation into who released the dementors from Azkaban. Alastor, I need you to reach out to your old contacts. We need all the allies we can find. Remus, you have your own mission, I presume?" Remus nodded. "Excellent. I have a few more responsibilities to give out, but for the rest of you, stay on your guard. Report any suspicious activity to me or to Sirius here."

The meeting did not last much longer. As people began to file out of the kitchen and towards the floo, Sirius made his way across the room to Remus.

"Moony," he said softly. "You're going back to that old pack?"

Remus nodded. "We need to make sure the werewolves don't join Voldemort. It's only a matter of time before Greyback joins, and too many follow that bloody maniac. I need to try and convince them to join us."

"When do you leave?" Sirius asked.

"Tomorrow. I was already planning on leaving, but this just makes it more pressing."

"Just be safe."

Remus smiled. "Of course."

"You're leaving tomorrow?" asked Tonks, walking over to them. Remus nodded slowly. "For how long?"

"As long as it takes, I would assume."

Tonks bit her lip. Before Remus, or Sirius even, could react, she reached up and pulled his face down to hers, pressing her lips to his. Sirius' eyes widened and he took a step back, unsure what to do.

"Come back safe," she whispered, pulling away. Remus blushed and nodded.

"I will."

Tonks gave him a weak smile before turning to leave. She blushed as she made eye contact with Sirius before leaving to get back to the ministry. Sirius looked at Remus, his eyes still wide.

"What the hell was that, Moony?"

Remus blushed. "I don't know."

"Oh, come on the poor girl is head over heels in love with you," Sirius said, rolling his eyes. "If I were you, I'd hurry up with this mission. Don't want to keep her waiting."

Remus punched Sirius in the shoulder. "She's too young, Padfoot."

"She's an adult, you're an adult. There's really no problem here," Sirius said. "Look. The world is a dark place, and with Voldemort back, it's only going to get harder to find some happiness. If Tonks makes you happy, don't reject it. You hear me?"

Remus gave his friend a hard look before slowly nodding. "I'll think about it."

Sirius grinned. "Good. I always could wear you down."

"That's what she said," Remus said. They both laughed. It felt good to laugh, as though they hadn't in years. Sirius thought that perhaps it was true. He couldn't remember the last time he had really laughed. "What about you? Where are you going to find your 'happiness'?"

"I'll think of something," Sirius grinned. "For now, I need to go talk with Dumbledore."

"I should probably get going myself," Remus nodded. "Got more packing to do before I leave."

"Be safe, Moony."

Remus smiled and hugged his friend. "You too, Padfoot."

Sirius watched his friend leave, and when he heard the floo ignite, he turned back to the last two people in the room.

"Sirius, we have another problem," Dumbledore said quietly.

"What is it?" Sirius asked, looking between Dumbledore and Snape.

"The Dark Lord is not alone," Snape said.

"What the fuck does that mean? He's got his little Death Eaters. We already knew this."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Voldemort is not the one completely in charge."

Sirius' eyes widened. "What?"

"The Dark Lord is a weapon," Snape continued. "Hecate is the one behind it all."

"Hecate."

Dumbledore nodded. "The Greek goddess of magic."

"So a Greek goddess is the only controlling Voldemort?" Sirius rubbed his eyes. "How the fuck do we even have a chance?"

"Percy Jackson is our best hope," Snape said. Sirius looked at him, surprised that the greasy haired git would ever say such a thing. Especially about a child.

"He's a demigod," Sirius said. "How can a demigod compare to a goddess?"

"There's a lot more to Percy than meets the eye," Dumbledore said. Sirius looked at Snape.

"And you actually think he can help us fight Voldemort _and_ a goddess?"

Snape nodded. "My cousins were demigods. They knew Percy well and used to send me letters. If anyone can help us, it is him."

"I don't know..." Sirius said. "This is a lot to take in at once."

"I understand," Dumbledore said. "Which is why I asked Percy if you could stay with them all in America over the summer. It'll be better than you being stuck here at Grimmauld Place. Fresh air will do you some good. Not to mention you'll get to spend time with Harry all summer."

"Me go back to America?" Sirius asked. "Are you serious?"

"No, you are," Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Sirius rolled his eyes, though he had a smile on his face. Snape merely scoffed. "Percy has already given you permission to join them, though I think he is leaving it as a surprise for Harry."

Sirius grinned. "I still want to be kept in the loop with what is happening here."

"Of course," Dumbledore nodded. "Percy has a unique way of contacting others that cannot be traced or intercepted by Voldemort. He'll show you how when you arrive."

"When do I leave?"

Dumbledore held out a bright red sneaker. "This portkey leaves in about ten minutes. I had one of the Hogwarts house elves come and pack your things. Mipsy?"

A small house elf popped into the kitchen with a large wooden trunk.

"Thank you, Mipsy, that is all."

The elf bowed to them before disappearing. Sirius patted Dumbledore on the shoulder. When Harry had left for America, Sirius had been glad that he would be safe, but he desperately wanted to be with his godson. He missed the kid. Now, he had the chance to spend the summer with him. Maybe he could even hit the clubs in New York and get himself a nice shag. Yes, it could be a good summer.

"Thank you for this, Dumbledore," Sirius grinned. He looked at Snape. "Thanks for letting us know."

Snape nodded and with another nod to Dumbledore, left and floo'd back to Hogwarts. Dumbledore chuckled and left Sirius alone in the kitchen. He stopped in the doorway. "Oh, Sirius, one more thing?"

"Hmm?"

"You're about to step into a world completely different from our own," Dumbledore said. Though he still smiled, Sirius could hear the seriousness in the headmaster's voice. "They may look like children. They may sound like children. But remember this: each and every one of them has more power than you have ever seen."

Sirius frowned. "Uh...okay?"

The headmaster left without another word. Sirius shook his head. What the hell did that even mean? He watched the clock on the wall until the portkey began to warm up. It was time. He braced himself, disliking the feeling of international travel. The portkey tugged on his navel, and he made sure to grip his trunk tightly before he was whisked out of 12 Grimmauld Place.

Travelling through international portkey was an odd experience, and one that Sirius would never get used to. It looked and felt as though he were being shot through hyperspace in one of those old muggle Star Wars movies. Except, instead of stars and blue lights surrounding him, it was all gray and dreary. And it was over in an instant. He fell the ground with a thud, his trunk landing on his back.

"Bahhhhh!"

Sirius' eyes widened. Was Harry staying on a farm? He looked up and found himself looking right in the eyes of a young with no shirt on and goat legs.

"Hades, don't do that!" the strange creature said. Sirius pulled himself up to his feet with a groan, his trunk falling to the ground.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Grover," the young man said. "You must be Sirius Black?"

Sirius nodded.

Grover grinned and hopped off his seat, popping what looked like a ping pong ball into his mouth. "Percy said you'd be coming today. I think they're doing archery training right now."

Sirius looked around. They were in a large room with a ping pong table in the middle. "Where exactly am I?"

"You're in the Big House," Grover said, swallowing the ping pong ball he had just eaten. "At Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood?"

Grover nodded. "Yup! The best place in the world for demigods. It's also the safest place in the world. Come on, I'll take you to where Percy and the others are."

"Sirius?"

Sirius turned and let out a breath of relief. "Molly! Arthur! It's good to see you both!"

The Weasleys smiled and came down the steps and Molly pulled Sirius into a hug. Molly looked him up and down. "My, you are still far too skinny, young man."

"I'll fatten up," Sirius grinned, shaking Arthur's hand.

"What brings you here, Sirius?" Arthur asked.

"Dumbledore wanted me to come and be with Harry," Sirius said. "Plus...there was an attack this morning."

Molly gasped. "Where?"

"Privet Drive."

Both Weasleys gasped. Molly looked behind Sirius as though Harry were there. "What happened?"

"Dementors attacked," Sirius said. "They kissed Harry's cousin. His aunt and uncle are okay."

"The poor boy," Molly shook her head. "I hate to think what would have happened if Harry had been there."

Sirius nodded.

"Do we know who was responsible for releasing the dementors?" asked Arthur. "I can only imagine that they came from Azkaban."

"They did," Sirius nodded. "But we don't know who released them. Kingsley and Tonks are running the investigation right now."

"Oh, I do hope they find whoever it was," Molly said sadly. She shook her head and smiled at him. "But, we can discuss it later. I'm sure that you want to go see Harry."

Sirius grinned and looked at Grover who had returned to snacking on ping pong balls. "I'm ready to go whenever you are, Grover."

Grover gave him a salute and waved goodbye to the Weasleys, leading Sirius out of the Big House. He swallowed and turned to look at Sirius. "This is Camp Half-Blood."

Sirius looked around in awe. The place was beautiful. There were trees everywhere and he could just make out several cabins behind a cluster of trees. The smell of the ocean wafted through the air and a gentle breeze felt perfect against the summer sun.

"This place is incredible," Sirius said. He watched as several groups of kids ran past, wearing full armor. He frowned, and Dumbledore's words rang in his head. "Are they all demigods?"

Grover watched the group run past and nodded. "Yup. Harry and the others are the only non-Greeks here. We've got others here at camp like other satyrs like me."

Satyr. Sirius nodded. He remembered the myths now. Satyrs were half-goat half-man creatures that were usually connected to partying and drunkenness. The god of nature, Pan, was a satyr.

"What makes this place so safe?" Sirius asked. Grover pointed down the road they were walking towards a large tree up on a hill. Sirius could just make out a large creature of some sort wrapped around it. "Is that a dragon?"

"That's Peleus," Grover nodded. "He guards Thalia's tree. The Golden Fleece is on that tree and it enforces the camp's magical barriers. Nobody that's not a demigod can get in without permission."

"The Golden Fleece?" Sirius asked, surprised. "As in the myth of Jason?"

"It's not a myth," Grover said. "But yeah, that Golden Fleece. Percy, Annabeth, and Clarisse got it several years ago." Grover motioned for him to follow him down a different path. "The archery range is over here."

Sirius followed the satyr down a small dirt path into the trees. He could hear some laughter up ahead. When they reached the clearing, he spotted Harry holding a bow and standing in front of a target. Percy, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, the twins, and the two Slytherin girls he had met in the cave at Hogsmeade were standing off to the side and laughing. Another kid, a boy with blonde hair and wearing an orange shirt stood next to Harry, laughing.

"It's not funny!" Harry said, though his arms were shaking in laughter.

"I don't think I've seen anybody as bad at archery since Percy!" the blonde boy said with a laugh.

"Oi!" Percy called out. That sent another peel of laughter through the group. Sirius smiled. It was so good to see them all being kids. Percy turned and spotted him and Grover. He grinned and motioned for Sirius to sneak up on Harry. Sirius grinned and shifted into Padfoot which elicited a startled bah from Grover. He stalked towards Harry. Harry's friends stopped laughing, and Sirius turned to see Percy holding them back from saying anything. He looked back at Harry and just as the boy fired an arrow at the target, he pounced and knocked him to the ground.

"Blood hell! What the f-" Harry rolled over and stared wide-eyed at Padfoot. "Sirius!"

Sirius morphed back and grinned at the boy. He held a hand out to him and helped him up. Harry pulled him into a tight hug. "Oof! It's good to see you too, Prongslet."

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Harry asked, pulling away, a bright smile on his face.

"Percy had me come," Sirius said. Harry turned and smiled at Percy who winked at him.

"I'm glad you're here."

Sirius gave him another hug. "I am too." He turned to look at the arrow Harry had fired. "Prongslet, you completely missed the target."

They all turned and roared in laughter. The arrow was imbedded in a tree way off to the right. Harry blushed and handed the bow back to the blonde kid in the orange shirt. "Alright, alright, laugh it up. It's Tracey's turn next."

Sirius stepped back as Tracey stepped forward, blowing Harry a kiss. Sirius grinned at the blush on Harry's face. Harry had written him a few times to tell him he was seeing her, but he hadn't had a chance to embarrass his godson. It was going to be a fun summer. Tracey fired the arrow and hit the center. Sirius grinned as they all started laughing and teasing Harry. It was going to be a very fun summer.

 **A/N: Holy absolute hell, I love you all. This story is now 45 followers away from 1k...that is absolutely insane to me. You guys are amazing. Thank you so much to everyone who has followed, favorited, and reviewed. Shamless plug: if you want to keep up with my writing process or just want to chat in general, I love talking with people on discord. My unique server link is in my profile description. Hope to see you there!**

 **Anyways, this chapter was another filler. I intend on finishing up the summer next chapter and jumping right into year 5. In other news, my upcoming Percy Jackson/Zoe Nighshade fic now has three chapters done. I will upload it when I've got at least five done. So, until next time, have a good one!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Special, special thank you to Negato Angelo! The 1,000th Follower!**

The elegant chandelier that had once illuminated the foyer of Greengrass Manor lay in shambles upon the marble floor. Shattered glass and twisted metal lay in complex patterns, large cracks in the floor beneath them giving the illusion of flies caught in a spider's web. The candles on the walls flickered as the breeze coming in through the doorless entrance teased the weak flames. The shadows in the hall danced vindictively, their presence haunting. The portraits and priceless works of art that had once been Daniel Greengrass' pride and joy were nothing more than broken blocks and splintered wood.

Blood dripped down the main staircase, staining the stark white marble a dark crimson. The banisters were cracked and twisted as though made of clay rather than hard steel and stone. Above the staircase, another chandelier swung in the wind gushing in through the large gash in the wall beside it, the summer storm brewing in the distance threatening to destroy even this last piece of remaining elegance.

"What am I to do with you?"

The bundle of robes and blood whimpered and twitched, one eye shut involuntarily and the other gazing up with unabashed hate.

"I have told you time and time again that our differences would only end badly for you. This time you have gone too far."

"Daniel," Alison Greengrass said, placing a hand on Daniel's wand arm. "Daniel, she is beaten. The Aurors are on their way now."

"And what if Daphne or Tracey had been here? She could have killed them."

"Where are your children?" Guinevere asked, grinning despite her lip being split and blood pouring from her nose and ears. "I do dearly miss my nieces."

Alison snarled and backhanded her, sending her crashing to the floor in a whimpered gasp of pain. Her husband blinked in surprise, having rarely ever seen his wife react violently. Alison wiped the blood off on her dress, the expensive fabric already scorched and ruined. Guinevere had arrived with fire in her blood and evil in her heart, firing curse after curse without warning as she crashed through the front door of Greengrass Manor. Had Alison and Daniel been in the parlor rather than in the back office going over business plans, they would have been killed immediately.

"This doesn't make any sense," Daniel said, wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. He frowned at the blood he found on his hand when he pulled away. "If I am killed, the business is put in a hold until the goblins can find a replacement. I made sure that it does not go to Daphne or Astoria. I didn't want Guinevere going after them either. Guinevere is no fool she would not try to kill me."

"Perhaps the Dark Lord ordered her to," Alison suggested. Daniel hummed.

"Perhaps."

"Lord Greengrass!"

Daniel and Alison turned away from Guinevere to find three aurors marching up towards them. All three were unfamiliar to him, but of course, he only knew the older aurors such as Mad-Eye and Shacklebolt. Daniel stepped away from Guinevere and walked down the crumbling staircase to greet the aurors.

"Gentlemen," Daniel said. "I am glad you could make it so quickly."

"There was an attack?" asked the auror in charge. Daniel snorted and looked around at the destruction around them.

"Does all of this constitute an attack in your opinion, officer?"

The auror bristled. "It is part of the line of questioning. I do not make the rules, sir."

"Yes," Daniel said, nodding. "There was an attack. My sister, Guinevere Greengrass, came with the intention of murdering my wife and I in order to take control of the family business."

"Was anyone else involved?" the auror asked. Daniel shook his head.

"No, just my sister."

"Where is your sister now?"

Daniel pointed up at where Alison still stood, her wand pointed at the figure on the ground. The auror nodded and motioned for his associates to follow him when all three gasped in pain and collapsed to the ground. Daniel pulled his wand out but was hit with a powerful spell that sent him flying backwards onto the stairs. He cried out when his spine hit the marble, the snap of bone breaking resounding through the hall.

"Did you truly think I would come alone, brother?" came a voice from the doorway. Daniel opened his eyes weakly. Guinevere Greengrass smirked at him, one hand on her hip tauntingly while the other twirled her wand. She wore a thick black robe-the same robes worn by all of the Dark Lord's elite.

Alison gasped in shock and turned to look down at the figure beneath her. The beaten Guinevere grinned up at her as her face began to morph until it was no longer Guinevere looking up at her but rather a short, stocky man with the face akin to a rat. He lashed out, kicking away Alison's wand, before casting his own stunner to knock her out cold. Daniel whimpered, unable to speak.

"You were right of course," Guinevere said, stepping into the hall, looking around at the destruction. She whistled. "I never knew the little guy had it in him." She looked back at Daniel. "You were right. I do not want to kill you. You are the head of the Noble House of Greengrass, killing you would strip me of any claim to the Greengrass fortune. No, I am not here to kill you."

Daniel whimpered again.

"What was that dear brother?" she asked, walking up to him until she was able to sit down on the steps beside him, leaning onto her side to look at him. "Have I hurt your back? I cannot imagine what it must be like to lose control of all your function. Such a shame that. You'll never be able to hold your grandchildren...assuming you ever have grandchildren."

Guinevere inhaled deeply, moving to lay on her back. "The Dark Lord needs the Greengrass money, Daniel. You knew this day would come. It will be better for you, and your family, if you give in and give me access."

"Never," Daniel managed. "Never."

Guinevere nodded. "I thought you might say that." She stood up and motioned to the man at the top of the stairs. "Come, Wormtail. We are leaving. Bring my sister-in-law."

Daniel's eyes widened in fear.

"If I cannot have the family money," Guinevere said. "Then I will have to take your wife. I wonder how long she will last with all of the others. Rebastian has been particularly eager to meet her." Thunder cracked loudly overhead and the wind blew through the hall. Guinevere pulled her robe over herself. "Wormtail!"

The fat man pulled Alison's limp body down the stairs, grinning at Daniel as he passed. Daniel fought desperately to move and kill the man that dared touch his wife, but his body wouldn't respond. Tears formed in his eyes and his throat burned.

"When you decide to hand over the family money, you may have Alison back," Guinevere said. "A good day to you brother. I will send a letter to St. Mungo's to come and pick up your body to get you help. I'm not completely heartless. Of course, by the time they arrive it will be too late to fix your spine."

"I will kill you," Daniel forced himself to say.

"No..." Guinevere shook her head. "I do not think you will. Come, Wormtail."

They turned towards the door just as a crack of lightning illuminated a figure in the doorway. Guinevere narrowed her eyes and pulled out her wand. Wormtail followed her lead, dropping Alison to the floor. Guinevere leaned forward to try and see who it was, but the darkness outside made it impossible to tell. Suddenly, two bright green eyes opened, shining brilliantly in the darkness.

"The last time I was here," the figure said, "I figured it would be good to set up some alarms. Good thing I do things the muggle way. Otherwise your little spell disabler stuff would have seriously messed things up."

"Who are you?" Wormtail growled. The figure strode into the hall and Daniel sighed with relief. It was a boy, Guinevere chuckled. He wore a bright orange shirt and strange muggle pants in a variety of shades of green and brown in an odd pattern. He almost looked like Potter, but he was older with an odd haircut and a short beard.

"I would suggest you go back home," Guinevere said, fingering her wand. "Before you get yourself seriously hurt."

The boy shrugged. "If you think you can hurt me, I would love to see you try."

Guinevere snarled and flicked her wand. " _Bombarda!_ "

The spell flew through the air, crackling as though gaining power. The boy dodged it and reached out with his hand. Guinevere grinned when she noticed the boy had no wand. The grin faded as water rushed out with tremendous force, knocking her and Wormtail off their feet. Daniel closed his eyes painfully, afraid of what was happening, but in doing so lost all consciousness.

««‡»»

When Daniel opened his eyes, he was in a tent illuminated by several muggle lights.

"Put them down there," ordered a young man with dark skin and an orange shirt. Daniel glanced up as he felt his body placed on what he could only assume was a cot. He looked up and his eyes widened. Standing above him was Percy Jackson, wearing a similar orange shirt. Percy's eyes were watching him with concern, but the boy smiled slightly when he noticed Daniel was awake.

"This is Austin Lake, Lord Greengrass," Percy said. "He's one of our best healers and is a son of Apollo."

Daniel could only nod as Austin moved over and began examining him. Austin turned to the others in the room.

"You all need to leave now. You can see him when I finish here."

Percy nodded and escorted Daphne out of the room though she struggled to try and look over Percy's shoulder at her father, worry clear in her eyes. When they stepped outside of the medic tent, they were greeted by their friends.

"How are they?" Tracey asked, concerned.

"Austin is working on them right now," Percy said. "It's a good thing we got there when we did. I can't imagine what would have happened if we had gotten there late."

A girl with dark hair and green eyes walked over and gave Daphne a side hug. "They'll be okay, Daphne. I've got some potions brewing back in my cabin that I'll give to Austin once he's finished stabilizing your parents."

"Thank you, Lou Ellen," Daphne said with a smile. Lou Ellen Blackstone had only gotten to know the group from Britain in the past few months, but they had all quickly became fast friends. Even Mrs. Weasley and her typical distrust for new people-particularly young women-could not help but enjoy Lou Ellen's company. Lou Ellen was a demigod and the only child of Hecate to have denounced Kronos and side with Olympus. Percy had been wary of her for a little while before she had sworn on the Styx that she was on his side and would help stop her mother's mad attempt to rule the world. The twins had taken a liking to her immediately especially when they learned of the pranks she had pulled in the camp which of course put everyone on edge. Lou Ellen and Gred and Forge together could be a dangerous mix.

"How exactly did you know they were in trouble?" asked Sirius, standing beside the Weasley parents.

"I had my dad set up a little alarm system on their front door when he went to visit a while back," Percy said. "It made the conch in my room go off."

"So that's what that was," Ginny said. "Hermione, Astoria, and I woke up hearing that, but we had no idea what it was until we heard Daphne shouting for Lou Ellen."

"Thank you for the portkey," Daphne said, looking at Lou Ellen. "We could never have made it in time without it."

Lou Ellen stuck her hand out, and Daphne put a strange, metallic cylinder in her hand. "No problemo. Glad it worked."

"What do you mean, 'glad it worked'?" asked Hermione.

Lou Ellen shrugged. "I've never used it before. It might have worked; it might not have. Glad it did though."

Everyone eyed the object and the girl warily, unsure how to respond. Percy just rolled his eyes and looked up at the sun that was just rising behind the Big House.

"Let's all go back to our rooms and get ready for the day," he said. "Meet in the Pavilion in an hour?"

They all agreed and went back to their rooms, the Weasley twins however heading off with Lou Ellen to discuss whatever new prank they were planning. Tracey gave Daphne a quick hug, whispering how glad she was that Alison and Daniel were safe, before taking Harry's hand and heading into the Big House. Daphne turned to Percy.

"How about a walk to the beach?"

Percy smiled and nodded. They walked silently, enjoying the cool summer breeze rolling off of the coast and basking in the early morning warmth of the sun. The gravel path crunched beneath their feet. Walks to the beach had become normal for them both over the past several weeks of summer. It was now nearing the end of August and the next year at Hogwarts was right around the corner, but with Voldemort back after the incident in the graveyard, no one was sure what to expect. Evenings were spent in the Big House reading copies of the Daily Prophet, which took the poor owls carrying them much longer to deliver, and listening to the muggle radio for anything out of the ordinary in Britain. So far nothing. It created a great deal of stress on the witches and wizards as every day they feared they would hear of some massive attack. Percy and Daphne's walks helped them relax and push away the stress of what was happening overseas. It wasn't a cure, but it helped enough.

"So your birthday is in a few days," Daphne said as they arrived at the beach. Percy turned to her and grinned.

"And what did you get me?"

"I have to get you something?"

"That's kinda the rule."

Daphne pursed her lips, but amusement danced in her eyes. "Since when?"

"Since...ever?" Percy shrugged. "It's just one of those things everyone knows."

"Well you'll just have to wait and see," she said, patting his arm.

Percy rolled his eyes. "Just please don't do what Tracey did to Harry."

Daphne busted out in a laugh. On Harry's birthday at the end of July, Tracey had woken him up with a howler that shouted rather than sang happy birthday to him. The howler had woken up the entire camp who then all proceeded to sing happy birthday in a multitude of keys and tempos making the poor, introverted kid practically die of embarrassment. Tracey had felt bad but made up for it by snogging Harry senseless much to Mrs. Weasley's chagrin.

"Are you saying you do not want me to snog you?" Daphne asked, still laughing.

"You know what I meant," Percy said, poking her side. "If you send me a howler, I'll dump you in the ocean."

Daphne gasped. "You wouldn't."

"I would," he nodded seriously. "A price to be paid, but I will pay it willingly."

"You're cruel, Jackson."

"All's fair in love and war, Greengrass," he said before they both smiled. "We should head back. I'm starving."

It was Daphne's turn to roll her eyes. "Honestly, when are you ever not hungry?"

"Umm," Percy thought about it for a moment. "When I'm sleeping?"

"I've heard your stomach growl in your sleep, Percy."

Percy blushed. "I dream about pancakes sometimes, sue me."

She laughed and took his hand in hers as they turned away from the beach and headed towards the dining pavilion for breakfast. Summer had gone by too quickly for Daphne. Spending each day with her friends and her sister, shooting arrows at the archery range, riding the pegasi, and tending to the strawberry fields, had been the best summer of Daphne's life. To be able to spend it with someone like Percy by her side made it even better. The thought that they would be separated by houses back at Hogwarts made her uneasy. She had grown accustomed to sharing his room, waking up next to him and narrowly avoiding his drool as he slept. She and Percy shared a special bond-one that did not require them to be physically intimate. Not that it hadn't been a temptation for either of them, but it was unspoken between them that they weren't ready.

"We need to start figuring out what to do now that Aunt Guinevere is after my parents," Daphne said as they got to the pavilion. "Greengrass Manor isn't safe anymore, but I doubt my parents will abandon it."

"We'll figure something out," Percy said. "Even if we dispatch a group of demigods to keep guard, we'll make sure your parents are safe. If nothing else, their finances and your family money cannot fall into Voldemort's hands."

The rest of the group had already sat down and were starting to eat breakfast when they stepped into the line for food. After they had gotten their plates of eggs, pancakes, and sausage and had made their offerings to Poseidon, Daphne and Percy squeezed in between Astoria and Ginny who both growled playfully as they were forcefully moved aside to make room for the couple.

"We need to arrange a meeting this afternoon to discuss the attack on Greengrass Manor," Percy said between bites.

"I'll floo Dumbledore and let him know what happened," Sirius said. "I'm not sure if the old man knows yet."

Percy nodded, though he was fairly certain Dumbledore already knew. Dumbledore-Thanatos, really-was being coerced by Hecate afterall.

"Do we know yet who sent those dementors after me?" Harry asked. When Sirius had arrived earlier in the summer, he had brought the bad news that someone had released two dementors from Azkaban and sent them towards Privet Drive. Thankfully, Harry hadn't been there, but his cousin Dudley had been kissed. As much as Harry had disliked his family, he only felt grief to hear his cousin had suffered such a fate. It had taken a week of long talks for Percy to convince Harry that he wasn't to blame. Well, Percy wasn't sure if it was the long talks or having the little minx named Tracey in the same bed that had cheered Harry up. Percy liked to think it was both.

"Not yet," Sirius shook his head.

"I still cannot believe that someone would send dementors after a child," Mrs. Weasley shook her head sadly.

"Hades sent furies after a couple of kids a while ago," Clarisse said, leaning over from her spot at the Ares table. "That's why Thalia became a tree."

Mrs. Weasley shook her head. "This world...I do not know how I would live knowing my children were being forced to fight monsters."

There was an uneasy silence as Ginny's face burned red. Percy still had not gotten the full story, but from what he knew, Ginny and Harry had encountered a horrible monster in Ginny's first year. A basilisk, Hermione had said without going much further. Ginny glared at her mother, but Mrs. Weasley did not notice. Mr. Weasley did, however, and shot his daughter an apologetic smile. Ginny's glare lessened and she turned back to her plate. Percy poked her in the side gently to let her know she wasn't alone. She poked him back a moment later. They ate the rest of their breakfast, chatting about anything and everything. Ron and Harry had renewed their friendship after the strain of their fourth year, and Percy was glad to see his little brother doing better. Hermione and Tracey were discussing with Astoria everything Astoria needed to know for the upcoming school year with Ginny occasionally pitching in though she spoke mostly in hushed tones with her twin brothers.

"Alright everyone," Percy said, standing up. "Breakfast is over. Go back to your cabins and get ready for inspection."

Ever since he had gotten back, Percy had slipped back into his natural leadership position. His new friends had all thought that there would be pushback from Clarisse or any of the other campers that had led in his place, but they were all surprised when they stepped back and willingly let Percy take charge. Daphne thought back to the first time night she had spent with Percy. Clarisse had told her that Percy was their leader. Not 'a' leader. 'Their' leader. The entire camp looked up to him, even the new campers that had not been around the previous summer. That Percy did not let it all go to his head impressed Daphne. It was one of the things she loved about Percy. Even if the boy still did not know she loved him.

"Will we be training in the arena?" Ginny asked. They had all been training all summer with Percy in combat, and they liked to think that they were relatively skilled with swords now. Lou Ellen had also been teaching them combat magic. Even Sirius who had been an auror before being wrongfully thrown in Azkaban could barely land a simple stunner on the child of Hecate.

"Yes," Lou Ellen said, getting up from her spot at the Hecate table where she sat alone. "Since you guys don't have a cabin to clean, you'll be coming with me to the arena."

"She's just going to humiliate us again," Tracey murmured, rolling her eyes. A moment later she yelped, jumping up from the and rubbing her bum. "What in Merlin's name was that?"

Lou Ellen smirked. "Stinging hex. Now get your lazy asses out to the arena."

Sirius barked a laugh as the kids all jumped and ran in the direction of the arena before Lou Ellen moved to stand in front of him, arms crossed across her chest. Sirius blinked. "Wait, you want me to go too?"

"You are all going," she said, looking at him and then at then at Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

Mrs. Weasley coughed. "Me? My dear, I am not as young as I once was."

"War is coming," Percy said, stepping in. "If you want to protect your family, you need to practice. You can't just rely on instinct at the last minute."

The Weasley matriarch took a breath, clearly thinking it all through, before she nodded and placed a hand on her husband's. "Alright. We'll go and train with the children."

"Excellent," Lou Ellen grinned. "I need to go give Austin the potions for Daphne's parents and then I'll go to the arena." She looked at Sirius. "I want all of you practicing _Expelliarmus_ by the time I arrive. If not, then we will be practicing banishment curses."

"Those are dark spells," Mrs. Weasley's eyes went wide.

Percy sighed. The poor woman saw the world in only shades of white and black. "Molly, this is all about survival. If you are too worried about a spell being 'dark,' then you will not make it through the war. I'm sorry, but it's the truth."

"We won't be using the unforgivables," Lou Ellen said, patting Percy's arm to say she had it. "Those three curses _can_ distort the soul. But other spells...if you want to fight dark magic, you need to know what it is you're fighting against. Think of this as combat magic and nothing else."

Mrs. Weasley took a deep breath before nodding and said, "I do not like this. I may not understand it. But, I'll be damned if I do nothing but sit around while my family prepares for this war."

Percy, Sirius, and Lou Ellen grinned and even Arthur Weasley smiled fondly at his wife. She was a stubborn woman, that much was certain. But her stubbornness came from her devotion to her family, and that trumped all else. The three adults stood up and made their way towards the arena, Percy and Lou Ellen watching them for a few moments before they took off in the direction of the cabins.

"They still don't know yet?" Lou Ellen asked.

"No not yet."

Lou Ellen scoffed. "Idiot, you were supposed to tell them like a month ago. You need to tell them soon. Especially Harry."

"I know, I know," Percy said. "I'll tell them tonight at the meeting. Will you be joining us at Hogwarts?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "What could they teach me? I literally have all the information I need on magic in my cabin, and I don't exactly struggle with any of it. Perks of being the daughter of Hecate."

"According to the gods, Voldemort is just as strong as you," Percy warned.

"Perhaps," she shrugged. "We'll see."

They stopped in front of her cabin. Percy nodded at her. "Get the potions to Austin."

"Whatever, Jackson, you know I got this."

Percy rolled his eyes and left her as she went inside and headed over to his cabin.

««‡»»

"Dad?"

Daniel Greengrass opened his eyes, blinking to avoid being blinded by the bright light dangling above him.

"Daniel?"

Daniel turned and his heart nearly burst with joy and relief as his eyes landed on the three most important people in his life. His family.

"Alison," he whispered. "Girls."

"Thank Merlin you're alright," Alison whispered, moving to sit on the bed beside her husband, resting a hand on his cheek. Daniel leaned into her touch.

"Where are we? Last I remember was being carried? What happened to Guinevere?"

"A few members of the Order went to the Manor a few hours ago, but she was missing," Alison said. "What matters now is that you are safe. We are safe."

Daniel looked at his girls. "We're at the camp?"

"You're in the medical tent," Daphne nodded. "Austin is a son of Apollo. He's been healing you as much as he could, and there's a daughter of Hecate here that made potions for you."

"Hecate," Daniel murmured. "Didn't Percy mention that she's the one supporting the Dark Lord?"

"Lou Ellen swore on the Styx that she is on our side," Astoria said, moving to sit on Daniel's other side. "She's really great. She and Percy have been training us all summer."

Daniel nodded and took a deep breath before looking up at his wife. "Alison...tell me what's wrong with me?"

Alison shook her head and smiled. "If it weren't for Austin, you would be completely paralyzed from the neck down. You broke your spine in multiple places. Austin and Lou Ellen saved you, but you're going to have to remain in bed for a good few weeks."

"What day is it?"

"It's August 15," Daphne said. "We have a little less than a month before school starts again. You should be out of bed by then."

Daniel nodded. "And Percy? Where is he? I want to thank him."

Daphne smiled. "I'll go find him." She walked over to Daniel and leaned down, kissing his cheek gently. "I'm so happy you're awake, dad."

"Me too," Daniel smiled back. He looked at Astoria and Alison. "I'm so glad we're all together again."

Astoria and Alison both grinned and laid down on the bed beside him, and the three Greengrasses cuddled contently as Daphne slipped out of the medical ward to find Percy. She found Tracey and asked if she had seen Percy, but she only shook her head. No one else had seen him either, so Daphne figured he was either at the beach or in their cabin. As she approached the cabin, she smiled as she heard the muffled voice of her boyfriend from inside.

"...Ellen sent you a portkey, did you get it?" Percy asked. Daphne stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame.

"I got it, Percy," came Dumbledore's voice through the rainbow mist in front of Percy. "I will collect the Order and bring them just outside the camp's borders."

"Two hours," Percy said, his voice firm, and Daphne could only smile. Percy was a natural leader, and his confidence was infectious.

Dumbledore hummed in agreement. "Two hours."

Percy slashed through the mist with an open hand before taking a breath and looking over at Daphne who kept smiling. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Just a minute," Daphne said, moving from the door to hug him. "Dad's awake. He wants to thank you."

"He's awake?" Percy asked, smiling and kissing the top of Daphne's head. "That's awesome! Is he all better?"

"Austin said he has to stay in bed for a few weeks, but then he should be good as new."

Percy nodded. "That's really great. I'm really happy for you and Astoria."

"Come on," she said, pulling away from him and taking his hand in hers. She led him out of the cabin, holding his hand tightly. She was excited. Her father was alive and healthy, and her family was all together again.

««‡»»

It was not the cold that woke Lucius Malfoy but the sound of the wind coursing through the halls of his manor. He sat up suddenly, clutching the sheets of the bed to his chest and took deep, calming breaths. His heart pounded violently and it amazed him that Narcissa remained asleep beside him. Sweat dripped down his forehead and beaded on the tip of his nose. He wiped it away with the bed sheet and swung his feet out. Lucius picked up his wand and with a flick of his wrist, ignited the small candle on the nightstand. Lucius got up from the bed and slipped into his evening gown and house shoes. Narcissa stirred but simply twisted away from the candlelight and remained asleep. Lucius stepped across the room towards the large oak doors and opened them with hardly a creak.

The hall was illuminated by several sconches on the walls and a single chandelier hanging directly above the entrance to the master bedroom. The wind bellowed down from the right side of the hall. From the guest quarters where several members of the Dark Lord's inner circle resided. The Dark Lord himself did not sleep. Instead, he remained nearly at all times within the dungeon tinkering with the multitude of dark items and books Lucius had at his disposal. Lucius frowned into the wind and stepped towards the source.

"Father?"

Lucius turned around just as Draco poked his head out from his room just down the left of the master bedroom. "It is alright, Draco. Return to your room."

"What is going on?" Draco asked.

"Nothing. It is probably just the house elves cleaning at night again."

Draco frowned but nodded and returned to his room. Draco was still oblivious to what was occurring within their own manor. Lucius did not want Draco exposed to the Death Eaters. Not while he was so young. Not yet. In a year perhaps. But not while he was only fifteen. Not even Lucius had been exposed to the Dark Arts so young. Narcissa had, of course, due to being a Black. It was Narcissa herself that demanded Draco be kept in the dark about the Death Eaters. And the Dark Lord. And...Lucius shivered. And the goddess Hecate.

Ever since the end of the Triwizard Tournament, the Dark Lord had been insufferable in his demands. He wanted Death Eaters tailing Percy Jackson, the American that had won the tournament, at all times. No one understood why. Unless the boy truly was a demigod as he had claimed after the second task. But surely the boy was simply an egotistical brat. That was what Lucius had assumed until only a week ago. A week ago, the Dark Lord had called a meeting to make final preparations for their attack on Azkaban prison to release the Death Eaters that had not been so lucky to escape after the fall of their master so long ago. As soon as the meeting had ended though, the dining hall of Malfoy Manor fell into darkness. Lucius had never been so terrified in his life. The fire in the hearth had blazed to life, roaring with green flames. It wasn't the floo, Lucius had never seen a floo fire burn hot nor crackle with such intensity. Then a woman had emerged from the flames.

One of the lowly Death Eaters had pulled their wand out on the woman and fired a spell. Lucius wasn't sure if the man had done it out of instinct or pure fear, but he had to admit that he had the urge to fight the woman himself. The woman, though, did not seem to care whatsoever that the man had fired the killing curse at her. She waved her hand and the spell reversed its trajectory and struck the man in the chest. Lucius and the others had gasped in shock and fear, and he expected his master to rise up to attack when instead, the Dark Lord had knelt down _to her_.

"Lady Hecate," the Dark Lord had said. Hecate, the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft. Lucius knew of the myths of course. It had been part of his upbringing as a pureblood. But they were myths and nothing more. Except that now, they were more. They were much more. The myths were real. The Greek gods existed. Demigods existed. Percy Jackson had been telling the truth.

"Where is the boy, Potter?" Hecate had asked.

"He is not at Privet Drive," the Dark Lord said. "One of our spies within the Ministry sent dementors to his home, but he was not there."

Lucius had never heard such a scream from any living being in his entire life. The Dark Lord had convulsed in such pain that Lucius and the others could feel it as well. The room had flickered in light and darkness as if the candles were reigniting themselves over and over again. A violent wind had torn through the room, knocking everyone back as the goddess cackled with unapologetic joy at the sight of their master screaming in pain. And just as soon as the wind had come, it left and the goddess stopped her laughing and allowed the Dark Lord to stand.

Harry Potter was not in England at all, it seemed. According to the goddess, the Potter brat had fled to America with Percy Jackson to some secret location that not even the goddess could penetrate. "Potter must be killed by the end of his fifth year," the goddess had said. "If he still lives..." She had left the threat open ended, but they had all seen the strength she possessed. Lucius had shivered and in that moment, he had realized that Narcissa had been right. Draco could not be part of this life. Not yet. It had been different when they had only the Dark Lord to follow. He had promised them wealth and power in a new world where the muggles and mudbloods would revere them. But now...now the Greek gods had returned to the world, and he had to protect Draco. No matter the cost.

"Lucius. You should not be awake."

"Nor should you, Guinevere," Lucius said, eyeing the woman that stood in a doorway off to the side. Lucius had not even realized he had followed the wind into the guest quarters. "You should still be resting."

Guinevere held up her shoulder that had been injured in her failed attempt to capture Lady Greengrass and take hold of her brother's wealth. "Snape's potions have helped tremendously. I am fine."

Lucius stared at her as the wind picked up once more. They both turned towards it.

"She has returned," Guinevere said. There was a hint of fear and possibly admiration in her voice. "What do you think of the goddess Hecate, Lucius?"

"I think..." Lucius wet his lips. "I think that we need to follow the Dark Lord's commands. Even if they come from her."

"Always the survivor."

"Always."

"And Draco? Narcissa?"

Lucius turned to Guinevere and scrutinized her. "The time for Draco to join the Dark Lord is coming. But not yet. He has much to learn."

"The time will come for Draco to take the mark," Guinevere said. "I would suggest that you do nothing to prevent it. For your sake, and for his."

Lucius looked at her for a moment. "I must return to my bed before Narcissa awakes and wonders where I have gone."

"Of course," Guinevere nodded though she smirked at him. "Have a... _pleasant_ evening, Lucius."

As he lay in bed the rest of the night, Lucius did not move. He stared up at the ceiling. Fear gripped his heart and for the first time in his life, Lucius felt unsure of himself. He felt unsure of his decisions. He was unsure of the Dark Lord. Times were changing, and Lucius knew he needed to be on the winning side. For the sake of his family, he needed to choose the winning side. But whose side was that? Percy Jackson, the demigod, and the so-called Boy-Who-Lived? Or Lord Voldemort and the psychotic Greek goddess Hecate?

««‡»»

"Order! Order! We must have order!" Chiron shouted, stomping his hoof into the ground.

"You have got to be joking! We can fight!" Harry shouted.

"Absolutely not!" Moody growled back. "You are children you have no way of knowing how to conduct yourselves in battle. You will get yourself killed, or you'll get someone else killed!"

"That is absolute rubbish," said one of the Weasley twins. "We've been training all summer to fight. That's why we came here!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt scoffed. "'Training.' You are children. How have you been training? Running around some path? Doing some muggle exercises? You are naive, boy. You are talking about defending Azkaban prison. If the dementors don't chill you to the bone you will have to confront the Dark Lord himself. How do you expect to be able to do such a thing? Have you been training to fight him? Have you?"

"Enough!" Chiron roared, slamming the butt of his spear into the ground. The Big House shook from the force of the impact and everyone turned to face the centaur. "I agreed to host this meeting here out of respect to Percy and Harry. But I will not allow such arguing in this building. The Order are here under our permission. I can easily cast you out, and believe me, you do not want Peleus to come and escort you out."

"Chiron is correct," Dumbledore said, stepping forward and speaking up for the first time since the meeting had started. "We are guests here in this camp. Let us not start hostilities."

"Dumbledore, you of all people must agree with us," Shacklebolt said. "This is Azkaban prison we are talking about. To send children there to defend it...do you truly want that on your conscience? I know I don't!"

"We are not children!" Harry shouted. "We are practically adults!"

"Listen to yourself," said Hestia Jones. "You are whining and complaining. Demanding, even. That is not how an 'adult' speaks. We all know what you have done, Mr. Potter, but that does nothing to change the fact that you are only fifteen and have little experience in battles like this."

"Maybe not," Harry said. "But that doesn't mean anything. My age means nothing. Ask Percy. He was in battles when he was eleven."

Everyone turned to Percy who sat in the Poseidon chair off to the side. Percy, who had been sipping on a can of coke, choked as everyone turned to him. "I'm sorry, what? I wasn't really paying attention."

Daphne and Tracey rolled their eyes, and Daphne smacked Percy on the back of the head. Percy winced.

Moody growled and turned to Dumbledore. "Are you seriously considering allowing these idiot children to join a fight against the Dark Lord?"

"Woah, woah, woah," Percy said, standing up. "'Allow'? Who do you think you are, pal, to talk about me like that."

"Who do you think you are to stand up like that?" Moody said, facing Percy. Everyone took a step away from the two. "You want to know how I got these scars? From real fighting. Look at your smooth, baby skin. You've never so much as gotten a paper cut in your life before, have you boy?"

Percy blinked. "Baby skin. Baby skin? Did you...did you seriously just call my skin _baby_ skin?"

"It's smooth like a baby's ass," Moody said, stepping forward. "A real fighter is marked by the scars of battle. You are still a child, boy. I know you fought in the tournament. I've read the papers. But that was nothing. You are nothing. Sit down if you know what's good for you."

"Sit down, huh?" Percy said, stepping forward. "And who's going to make me? You? I'm surprised you even have the strength to lift your flask up to your lips, old man."

Moody glared at Percy, his eyes narrowing and those that were behind Percy flinched at the sight. An angry Mad-Eye was enough to strike fear into the heart of even the most hardened Death Eater. But Percy did not flinch. Rather, Percy turned his own glare on the short man, staring down into his eyes with such fierce determination and strength that the air seemingly grew cold and Mad-Eye flinched. Percy grinned and patted Mad-Eye on the cheek.

"Good boy. Now sit down, old man, and let the real adults talk."

The room stared at him in shock. No one ever spoke to Mad-Eye that way. Certainly not a teenager. Everyone stumbled back, expecting the two men to start hurling spells at one another when Mad-Eye began laughing.

"Ahaha! You have balls, boy! Big brass ones!"

Percy grinned and held his hand out which Mad-Eye shook earnestly.

"I recognize the look of a fighter, boy," Moody said. "You are a warrior without a doubt. But a warrior does not hide his scars. Why use glamour charms?"

"I don't use glamour charms."

"You've been in battle before, have you not?"

Percy nodded.

"Then where are your scars?" asked Hestia Jones.

"I don't have any," Percy said.

Shacklebolt scoffed. "You expect us to believe that you not only fought in a battle before, but you escaped without so much as a scar?"

"You can believe whatever you want to believe," Percy said. "But I don't have any scars."

"No scars means no proof," said Mundungus Fletcher, stepping forward and shoving people out of the way. He held his wand out at Percy. "I don't believe anything you've ever said, Jackson. There's no such thing as a demigod. You've never fought in a battle before. You're nothing but a liar and a scoundrel."

The Order blinked at the irony that Fletcher was accusing someone else of being a scoundrel.

"And I'm supposed to just prove it all to you?" Percy asked. "Was holding a dragon's jaw open not good enough for you? Or having the merpeople bow to me? Or saving both Harry and I during the final task?"

"You're good at magic and potions, then," Fletcher said. "But all this bloody nonsense about being a demigod? That's all it is. Bloody nonsense."

A few of the other Order members who had not interacted much with Percy murmured in agreement. It seemed that the Daily Prophet's slanderous opinion columns were doing their job in turning the public on Percy and Harry.

"I have been here all summer," said Sirius, stepping up to Fletcher. "I have seen these kids train all summer long. I've seen things that I never thought possible. The Greek gods are real. Demigods are real."

Fletcher scoffed. "They've fooled you too, Black? I thought your family was skilled in mind magic, but I guess you really are the black sheep of your family."

"Look," said Daniel Greengrass. He tried to stand up from his seat, but Daphne held him back down firmly. Daniel frowned but nodded and simply looked up. "Percy Jackson saved my life. I have met Lord Poseidon myself. So has Alison. The Gods are real. If we keep fighting about this then the Dark Lord will continue to gain power. He already has Hecate on his side."

Percy nodded. "All this arguing about the myths being real is stupid. Are you seriously going to keep arguing about this?"

Fletcher glared at him. "If you could prove it to us, then I wouldn't be arguing. But we deserve the right to know. I am not going to support any side that is made up of nothing but lies and deceit." Once again, the irony of his words was not lost on the room.

"And how could I prove it to you?" Percy asked.

"How about a pensieve?" asked Shacklebolt. "I am inclined to believe you, Mr. Jackson. And you too, Dumbledore. But this is a lot to accept. Greek gods? I need to see for myself."

"What's a pensieve?" Percy asked, looking at Dumbledore and then at Harry and his friends.

"A pensieve is a magical object that allows our memories to be viewed by multiple people."

Percy frowned. "So...what? You just view my memories? How?"

"Let me retrieve my pensieve," Dumbledore said. "I will explain how it all works when I return."

"How long will it take?" asked Shacklebolt. "We do not have all night. It is almost three a.m. back home."

"I will be back in just a moment." Dumbledore winked at Percy before leaving the Big House. No one except for Percy, Chiron, and the other few demigods that were in the room noticed the flash of light coming from outside as Thanatos flashed away to Hogwarts. An awkward silence descended on the room.

"So..." Ron said after a while. "Does anyone want to play chess?"

Ginny nodded and the two of them began playing chess. The Order members began mumbling to themselves, a few discussing the likelihood of Percy telling the truth while a few continued to discuss the plan to defend Azkaban.

"Are you sure about this?" Chiron asked Percy.

"You don't have to show your memories if you don't want to," Clarisse said from the other side. She shivered. "I wonder if they inject some sort of needle into your brain to get them out."

"It's not painful," Daphne said with a smile before putting a hand on Percy's shoulder. "But I agree with them. You don't have to show your memories if you don't want to."

"I know," Percy nodded. "But all this arguing about the myths being real is just stupid. If me proving that they're real will put an end to the rumors, then I'm all for it."

"And why not just swear on the Styx?" Clarisse asked.

"Because that oath means nothing to mortals," Percy said. "They won't know what it means or the significance of it."

"And what about a magical oath?" asked Daphne.

"I can't make one since I don't have any magic," Percy said. "I can say the words sure, but nothing happens. I made one to Ginny a long time ago but it was just like saying a regular sentence."

Daphne nodded, having wondered for some time if Percy could make a magical oath or not.

"I'm back," Dumbledore said, stepping into the room. He carried with him a large goblet type object and set it into the middle of the room. Percy leaned forward and frowned. It was filled with a crystal clear liquid that seemed to contain strange, dancing images.

"Okay, how does this work?" Percy asked.

"Just think of the memory you wish us to see," Dumbledore said. "I will put the tip of my wand to your temple and extract the memory which I will then place into the liquid. To view it, we will all put our wands into the liquid and enter the memory, so to speak."

"Does extracting the memory hurt?" Clarisse asked.

Dumbledore shook his head. "It might tickle a little, but it does not hurt."

Clarisse frowned, disappointed. Percy rolled his eyes at her before thinking for a moment. What memory did he want to show? Certainly not the final battle for Manhattan. He didn't think he had it in him to try and relive that memory. He thought for a moment before he came up with one. "Okay, I have one."

"Excellent," Dumbledore said. He placed his wand up to Percy's temple and held it there for a moment. "Think about the memory. Good." When Dumbledore pulled his wand away, a wisp of silver came with it. It looked like a thick spider-web to Percy. Dumbledore walked over to the Pensieve and placed the web-like memory into the water. The runes on the magical object glowed and then Dumbledore grinned. "Excellent. Now, everyone that wishes to view the memory, please step forward."

Everyone in the room stepped forward. Percy rolled his eyes. The demigods, though remained in their seats. Dumbledore nodded at them all. "On the count of three, place your wand into the Pensieve and we will be dropped into the memory. On three...One...Two...Three."

Everyone, including Harry, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, Tracey, and Daphne, placed their wands into the Pensieve. The demigods and Chiron gasped in shock as suddenly everyone was pulled into the strange object. Clarisse stepped towards it and tapped it. Nothing happened.

"Why is magic so fucking weird?"

 **A/N: So...uh...you all forgive me for taking forever to finish this chapter right? I'm truly sorry. I had a lot of writer's block with this chapter. I wrote it and rewrote it maybe five times and let me tell you, depression can be a real kick to the groin. But...I am so grateful to each and everyone of you that has been reading and following this story. 1000+ followers? You guys are crazy.**

 **Anyways, please let me know what you guys think of the story so far! I thought this would be the last chapter of the summer before 5th year, but next chapter will have the last few scenes of summer and then we will actually begin 5th year in chapter 27 so look forward to that. In other news, my upcoming Percy Jackson fanfic has a new beta so that story is really starting to take shape. Once I have five chapters finished I will start to upload it.**

 **Before I end this Author's Note, I want to take a moment to shout out a few people. One, I promised her I wouldn't so here I am doing it, shout out to SaltyAshley who I have officially dubbed my new little, annoying sister. Also, two of my IRL friends are also writers here on Fanfic . net, and I have finally finished reading their stories and I really enjoyed them! So go give Ensis96 and Ardoa88 some love! Ensis96 is writing a Next-Gen HP story entitled _Death's True Hollows_ , and Ardoa88 is writing a PJO/TKC crossover fic entitled _When Worlds Collide_. I enjoyed both of them a lot, so go take a look!**

 **And that's the end of my A/N. Thank you everyone who has favorited, followed, and reviewed. I love you all. Until next time! (whenever that is ...)**

 ****This chapter (as well as pretty much all the previous chapters) is un-beta'd. All mistakes are entirely my own.****

 **UPDATE SEPTEMBER 12, 2019 - I have not updated this story in a while and y'all deserve to know why: I have been on the shitty rollercoaster that is job hunting for the past several months and it is really draining me. I have applied to over 130 jobs (not an exaggeration either, I keep a list of the jobs I've applied for) and of those jobs, I've only had two preliminary phone interviews. Both went really well and both resulted in "sorry, we sent your information to the hiring manager but they had too many candidates already. Maybe next time." So, as you can probably tell, that is really making me struggle and to be perfectly honest, it is making it hard for me to really feel like sitting down and writing. That doesn't mean I'm not writing at all. I work on the next chapters a little bit here and there when I have the motivation. If you want to keep up to date on the status of what I'm doing, I suggest joining my discord server. The link is provided in my profile. Apologies if you are frustrated by the lack of updates, I promise I have not abandoned any of my stories.**


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